1 


'/  •"  /// 

•  / 


THE 

ORIGIN 


OF    THE 


NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS; 


WITH    A 

FAITHFUL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THEIR   MANNERS  AND 
CUSTOMS,  BOTH  CIVIL  AND  MILITARY,   THEIR 
RELIGIONS,  LANGUAGES,  DRESS,  . 
AND  ORNAMENTS: 

INCLUDING 

VARIOUS  SPECIMENS  OF  INDIAN   ELOQUENCE,  AS  WELL  AS  HISTOB 

ICAL  AND  tfjOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  ALMOST  ALL  THE 

DISTINGUISHED  NATIONS    AND  CELEBRATED 

WARRIORS,  STATESMEN  AND  ORATORS, 

AMONG   THE 

INDIANS    OF    NORTH   AMERICA. 

NEW   EDITION,    IMPROVED   AND   ENLARGED. 


BY  JOHN     McINTOSH. 


NEW     YORK: 

CORNISH,    LAMPORT    &    CO.,    PUBLISHERS 
No.   8   PARK  PLACE. 

1853. 


MIT 


.fcrr.ereci  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  ,n  the  year  1843, 

BY  NAFIS  &  CORNISH, 
the  Clerk's  Office  for  the  Southern  District  df  New-Yorl 


Bancroft  Library 


CONTENTS. 


Preface,      ....... 

Introduction,                          .             .            ..             .             .  ]3 

Creation  of  the  World,               .             .             ...  l8 

Situation  of  Paradise,            .  20 
Antedeluvians,                .             •             .             .             •             .25 

Delude,         .......  2V 

The  Foundation  of  Nations  by  the  Posterity  ol  Noah,       .             .  29 

Mago?,  the  Progenitor  of  the  North  American  Indians,           .  31 
The  Posterity  of  Shera,                .             .                     ,      .             .34 

DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA,       .....  39 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS,      .             .  73 

Persons,  Features  and  Colour  of  the  North  American  Indians,  87 

Persons,  Features  and  Complexion  of  the  Tongusi  of  Siberia  in  Asia,  91 

Particularities  of  the  Indian  Language,                  ...  93 
Particularities  of  the  Language  of  the  Tongusi  and  Coriaks  of 

Siberia,              ......  98 

Comparative  View  of  the  Indian  and  Asiatic  Languages,              .  101 

Religion  of  the  North  American  Indians,       .             .             .  104 

Religion  of  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  and  Kamschadales,       .             .  109 

Dress  and  Ornaments  of  the  North  American  Indians,             .  112 

Dress  and  Ornaments  of  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  and  Kamschadales,  115 

Marriage  among  the  North  Amercan  Indians,              .             .  119 

Marriage  among  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  and  Kamschadales,           .  127 

War  among  the  North  American  Indians,        .             .             .  129 
War  among  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  Kamschadales,  Yakutsi,  and 

Okotsi  of  Siberia,  .  .  .  .  .148 

The  Dance  of  the  Calumet  among  the  North  American  Indians,  155 

The  Dance  of  the  Potoosi,  or  Calumet,  among  the  Tongusi,  &c.     ,  159 

Sacrifices  among  the  North  American  Indians,             .             .  160 

Sacrifices  among  the  Tongusi,     .....  161 

Funeral  Rites  among  the  North  American  Indians,     .             .  162 

Funeral  Rites  among  the  Coriaks,  Tongusi,  and  Kamschadales,     .  168 

Festival  of  Dreams  among  the  North  American  Indians,         .  170 
Festival  of  Dreams  among  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,   and  Kamscha 
dales,      .             .             .             .             .             .             .173 


VI  CONTENTS. 


Game  of  the  Dish,  or  Little  Bones,  among  the  North  American 

Indians,  .  .  .  •  •  .     175 

Game  of  the  Patooni  among  the  Kamschadales,          .  «  •;        177 

The  Naming  of  Children  among  the  North  America  Indians,        .     178 
The  Naming  of  Children  among  the  Kamschadales,    .  .  .  ','-       179 

Jugglers  among  the  North  American  Indians,    .   .  .  .180 

The  Ponomoosi,  or  Prophets,  among  the  Kamschadales,  Coriaks,&c.   181 
Orators  among  the  North  American  Indians,  ,  .182 

Orators  among  several  Asiatic  Tribes,  .  .  .  183 

The  Councils  and  Government  of  Villages  among  the  North  Ameri 

can  Indians,  .....  185 

Councils  and  Government  among  Asiatic  Tribes,  .  .     187 

Shapes  which  the  North  American  Indians  give  to  their  Children,     189 
What  Strengthens  and  Shapes  the  Indians  so  well,  .  .     190 

Their  first  Exercises,  .  .,  ,  .  .  .  ib. 

In  what  consists  their  Education,  .  •  •  .     191 

Works  of  the  Women,  .  .  .  •  .  ib. 

Works  of  the  Men,  9  .      ib. 

Their  Hatchets,         ••••••  192 

The  Form  of  their  Villages,        .  .  .  .  .      ib. 

Their  Notion  of  the  Origin  of  Man,  .  .  195 

Their  Vestals,  .  .  .  .  .  .196 

Their  Vows,  .  .  .  .  .  ib. 

Their  Fasts,       .  .  .  .  .  .  .       ib. 

Their  Thoughts  on  the  Immortality  of  the  Soul,          .  .  197 

Of  the  Country  of  Sou  A,  .  .  .  .  .      ib. 

An  Indian  Chief's  Account  of  the  Origin  of  the  North  American 

Indians,  .  .  .  .  .199 

Indian  Eloquence,     ...  .  .  .  .  215 

Indian  System  of  Government  —  Democratic,         .  .  .     225 

Powhattans  of  Virginia,        .....  227 

King  Powhattan,  ....  .     228 

Indian  Nations  of  New-England,       .  .  .  229 

Massasoit—  their  Grand  Sachem  —  His  Character,  .  .     231 

Alexander,  his  son  —  His  Character  and  Murder,         .          /  .  232 

King  Philip,  his  brother—His  Character  and  Death,         .  .     233 

Commencement  of  the  War,  ...»  234 

The  Peqnods  —  Their  Sachems,  .  .  .  .     240 

The  Pawtuckets,       ......  242 

Six  Nations  —  Their  Warriors  and  Orators,          .  .  .     243 

Logan,          .......  245 

Mohawks,  .....  r  .247 

Seminoles,  ......          248 

Mohegans,          .  .  .  .          (-±£    ,    A  ^      ib. 

Delawares,  4  250 


CONTENTS.  yii 

PAQE 

Ottawas,             ....                          .  251 

Pontiac— Their  Celebrated  Chieftain  and  Orator,      .  252 

Californians,        .......  254 

Creeks,          .             .             .             .             .             .             .  255 

Cherokees,          .  .  .  .  .  .  .256 

Shawanees,                .             .             .             .                          .  258 

Tecumseh,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .259 

Red  Jacket — His  Eloquence  and  Character,                 .             .  262 

Indian  Speeches,               .              .             .              .             »  267 

Speech  of  Logan,      .              .              .             V            .             %  268 
Speech  of  the  Five  Iroquois  Chiefs,           .             .            .             .269 

Speech  of  Half  King,  .  ...  .  .270 

Speech  of  Petchenanalas,                           .                           .             .  271 

Speech  of  Captain  Pipe,         .                           ...  272 

The  Answer  of  Little  Turtle,      .             .                           .  274 

Speech  of  Red  Jacket  to  a  Missionary,                           ,  275 

Speech  of  Red  Jacket  about  the  Witch  Doctrine,              .             .  278 

Speech  of  Farmer's  Brother,                .             .             .  279 

Speech  of  Corn  Planter,                .             .                                         .  280 
Speech  of  Tecumseh,             .              .             .              .             .282 

Speech  of  Black  Thunder,           .  -                        .                          .  283 

Speech  of  Metea,       ...                           .  285 

Speech  of  Keewatagoushkum,      .                          ...  287 

Speech  of  Black  Hawk,          .                            ...  289 

Speech  of  the  Onondagas  and  Cayugas,                 .'            .             .  291 

Speech  of  Canassatiego,         .....  295 

Speech  of  Gachradodow,               .                            ...  299 

Character  of  the  Five  Nations,  by  Colden,  .  •  301 
America  Peopled  by  a  more  Civilized  Race  than  the  present  Red 

Indians,                 ......  307 

Indian  Antiquities,  according  to  Governor  Clinton,  .  .  314 
The  Mexicans  are  the  Remains  of  a  more  Polished  Nation  than- 

the  North  American  Indians,  ,  .  .  322 

Conclusion,  ....  .  .  340 


PREFACE. 


To  trace  the  descent  of  nations  and  travel  through  the 
regions  of  antiquity,  is  universally  admitted  to  be  a  difficult 
task,  and  consequently  not  unworthy  the  attention  of  the 
lovers  of  science.  Our  present  subject,  it  is  true,  has  fre 
quently  attracted  the  curiosity  of  the  learned,  both  of  the  old 
and  new  world ;  and  although  their  researches  have  been 
both  plausible  and  ingenious,  yet  the  result  of  their  inquiries 
is  evidently  so  adverse  and  inconsistent,  that  a  wide  field  is 
still  open  to  the  antiquary  and  historian.  Nay,  the  obscuri 
ty  in  which  the  origin  of  the  Aborigines  of  America  has, 
hitherto,  been  involved,  demands  and  calls  forth  all  the  in 
genuity  which  the  most  enlightened  philosophy  can  bring  to 
its  aid,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  public  mind  on  so  intricate  a 
subject. 

In  this  arduous  undertaking,  therefore,  it  becomes  us  to 
solicit  the  indulgence  of  our  readers,  especially  of  those  who 
may  not,  perhaps,  feel  disposed  to  reason  on  matters,  which, 
as  they  might  likely  imagine,  exceed  so  far  the  reach  and 
testimony  of  authentic  history,  that  the  origin  of  the  North 
American  Indians  muse,  as  a  matter  of  course,  remain  for 


PREFACE. 


ever  hidden  from  the  curiosity  of  mankind.  The  RED  MEN, 
it  is  true,  nad  not,  when  first  visited  by  Europeans,  any  his 
tory  of  themselves,  either  written  or  traditional,  which 
could  throw  any  light  on  their  national  affairs.  With  re 
gard  to  oral  tradition,  which  consists  of  recitals  made  by  the 
first  men  to  their  children,  of  whatever  happened  worthy  of 
notice  during  their  lifetime,  so  that  these  recitals  are  multi 
plied  in  every  generation,  and,  transmitted  down  to  posterity, 
without  the  assistance  of  writing,  we  must  candidly  acknow 
ledge  that  the  Indians  were  found  to  be  miserably  destitute, 
even  of  this  errant  vehicle  of  knowledge.  Hence,  amidst 
the  clouds  which  envelop  the  history  of  this  ill-fated  race, 
we  are  furnished  by  themselves  with  nothing  bat  uncertain 
ty.  We  shall  not  then,  venture  to  affirm,  on  their  testimony, 
either  what  is  true  or  what  is  false,  or  seek  for  certainty 
among  such  uncertain  authorities.  On  the  contrary,  our 
witnesses  are  of  the  most  unimpeachable  character,  while 
the  testimony  of  travellers  of  undoubted  veracity,  and  mis 
sionaries  no  less  distinguished  for  their  learning  than  reli 
gious  zeal,  who  dwelt  for  many  years  in  the  north-eastern 
regions  of  Asia,  and  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  North 
America,  shall  form  our  principal  guides  in  this  inquiry. 

In  the  absence,  therefore,  of  written  or  traditional  history, 
however  erroneous  the  latter  may  frequently  prove,  but 
neither  of  which  the  Indians  possessed,  it  seems  to  us,  that 
there  cannot  be  a  more  rational  way  of  arriving,  with  any 
degree  of  accuracy  and  certainty,  at  the  original  source, 
whence,  in  the  remoteness  of  time,  those  numerous  and 
powerful  tribes  first  migrated  to  the  Western  Continent, 
than  to  offer  a  faithful  comparison  of  the  Indians  with  the 
Asiatics,  in  religion,  language,  manners,  habits  and  custom? 


PREFACE.  XI 

On  the  authority  of  wiiters  and  travellers,  ancient  and 
modern,  and  of  distinguished  ability,  whose  observations,  in 
Asia,  and  America,  written  at  different  periods,  should  merit 
the  greatest  confidence  and  attention  from  the  scientific  and 
the  curious,  we  have  ventured  to  prove  beyond  the  possibili 
ty  of  doubt,  that  the  North  American  Indians  are  of  Asiati 
origin. 

As  it  is  generally  allowed  that  the  uniformity  or  agree 
ment  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  two  nations,  is  the  most 
authentic  monument  of  their  original  connection,  we  have 
offered  an  extensive  catalogue  of  coincidences,  so  singular 
and  indicative  of  the  identity  of  people,  that  we  will,  at  once, 
be  induced  to  believe  this  theory  to  be  the  most  rational  of 
all  the  systems  that  have  been  formed  on  the  subject.  If  we 
meet,  therefore,  with  many  customs,  religious,  military,  and 
civil,  practised  only  by  some  nations  in  Asia,  and  followed 
up  by  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  the  Western  Continent,  we 
may  fairly  conclude  that  the  Aborigines  of  this  country 
must  have  derived  their  origin  from  those  Asiatic  tribes  to 
whom  they  bear  the  greatest  resemblance  in  language,  reli 
gion,  manners,  habits  and  customs. 


INTRODUCTION. 


NATIONS,  like  mankind,  advance  insensibly  from  in 
fancy  to  youth.  The  scenes  of  puerility  are  forgotten 
or  neglected  in  the  pride  of  riper  years.  Few,  indeed, 
feel  inclined  to  look  back  on  antiquity.  The  regions 
which  we  behold  are  remote.  Beyond  a  certain  line  every 
thing  disappears  in  shades,  and  the  distant  land  in  which 
we  travel,  seems  to  be  inhabited  by  phantoms  and  strange 
forms.  An  inquiry  after  the  origin  of  nations  is  certainly 
an  obscure,  but  yet  an  interesting  labyrinth  to  perambu 
late.  Weak  and  unphilosophic  minds  may,  no  doubt, 
deem  this  a  barren  subject,  which  their  taste  or  curiosity 
leads  them  not  to  examine  with  that  degree  of  interest 
which  its  importance  evidently  deserves.  But  nothing 
can  prove  more  beneficial  and  amusing  to  the  studious  and 
inquisitive  mind,  than  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  various 
races  of  men,  which  constitute  the  great  human  family,  for 
it  is  only  in  this  way  that  a  man  can  know  himself. 

When  we  take  even  a  superficial  view  of  the  surface  of 
the  globe  which  we  inhabit,  we  evidently  perceive,  that, 
at  some  unknown  remote  periods,  various  revolutions  have 
happened,  which  not  only  affected  materially  the  superficial 
structure  of  the  earth,  but  the  state  and  condition  of  its  in 
habitants. 

2 


INTRODUCTION. 


Although  we  may  fairly  boast  of  the  pre-eminence  of 
the  human  species,  over  all  other  animals  in  arts  of  inge 
nious  contrivance,  and  in  mental  capacities,  which  elevate 
our  hopes  beyond  terrestrial  enjoyments,  yet  we  find  the 
earth  inhabited  by  different  races  of  men,  who  do  not  only 
vary  in  complexion,  manners  and  customs,  but  their  rules 
of  conduct,  sentiments  and  opinions,  are  apparently  so  con 
trary  and  inconsistent,  that  the  minds  of  the  curious  are  at 
once  struck  with  a  degree  of  surprise,  which  naturally  ex 
cites  a  desire  of  consulting  those  extensive  sources  of  in 
formation,  which  have  been  laid  open  to  the  antiquary,  by 
the  travels  and  researches  of  modern  travellers.  The  in 
tellectual  faculties  of  man,  as  well  as  his  bodily  frame  and 
complexion,  exhibit  so  various  an  aspect  among  different 
races  of  mankind,  as  would  seem  to  authorise  an  arrange 
ment  of  the  human  species  into  different  classes,  marked 
by  a  specific  diversity  of  powers,  both  mental  and  cor 
poreal. 

The  revival  of  critical  learning,  however,  has  induced 
the  learned  and  the  intelligent  to  examine  with  some  in 
terest,  the  early  state  of  mankind,  as  well  as  the  striking 
diversity  in  the  human  species  throughout  the  regions  of  the 
earth.  The  whole  human  race,  when  compared  with  the 
present  generation,  were  in  a  state  of  infancy,  for  many^ 
centuries  after  the  deluge,  as  well  as  in  the  antediluvian 
world.  To  observe  mankind  leaving  the  first  rude  stages 
of  society,  and  advancing  gradually  in  the  provinces  of 
civilization  and  refinement,  till  they  came  to  cultivate  the 
arts  and  sciences,  and  to  form  wise  regulations  for  the 
better  government  of  communities,  is  a  contemplation  in 
which  every  man  should  indulge,  in  order  to  know  what 
man  really  is,  and  what  he  has  been.  The  wonderful  re 
volutions  which  every  age  and  every  year  have  produced 
in  the  mental  regions  of  man,  go  to  prove  that  the  human 
race  have  not  yet  attained  their  manhood. 

But  how  much  soever  men  may  seem  to  be  diversified 
by  manners  and  customs,  opinions  and  sentiments,  shape 
and  size  of  body,  colour  complexion,  the  organization  of 


INTRODU  ;TION.  xv 

the  human  frame,  throughout  the  world,  proves  an  unifor 
mity  of  species,  which  makes  it  appear  probable,  that  the 
whole  human  race  have  been  descended  from  one  original 
pair,  as  we  are  assured  by  sacred  history. 

On  discovering,  therefore,  such  a  contrariety  in  the 
bodily  frame  and  features  of  man,  as  well  as  in  his  mental 
capacities,  we  are  led  to  attribute  this  diversity  in  the 
human  species,  to  that  general  revolution  which  happened 
at  the  confusion  of  Babel.  From  Holy  Writ  we  are  as 
sured  that,  for  several  centuries  after  the  deluge,  mankind 
continued  together  and  composed  only  one  nation,  seated 
in  that  country  which  was  watered  by  the  rivers  Euphra 
tes  and  Tigris,  sometimes  called  in  general  Syria,  but 
more  particularly  distinguished  by  the  several  names  of 
Armenia,  Assyria,  and  Chaldea.  Being  the  children  of 
one  family,  (of  Noah  and  his  sons)  their  language  was  the 
same,  notwithstanding  the  early  difference  which  appeared 
betwixt  Ham  and  his  two  brothers ;  and  doubtless  their 
religion,  customs  and  manners,  could  not  be  very  different 
so  long  as  they  continued  together. 

During  their  abode  in  the  plains  of  Shinar,  the  sons  of 
Noah  conceived  the  project  of  building  "  A  City  and  a 
Tower,"  in  order  to  make  themselves  "  a  name,"  or  rather 
a  sign  lest  they  should  "  be  scattered  abroad  upon  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth."  This  tower,  says  Moses,  they  impious 
ly  designed  should  reach  to  heaven  :  and  various  are  the 
conjectures  that  have  been  made  as  to  the  motive  that 
could  have  suggested  so  vain  a  thought.  But  whatever  it 
might  be,  it  was  displeasing  in  the  eyes  of  God,  and  he  ac 
cordingly  obliged  them  to  abandon  their  enterprise  by  con 
founding  their  language,  so  that,  unable  to  understand 
each  other,  they  named  the  city  Babel,  which  signifies 
Confusion,  and  dispersed. 

Some  writers  have  imagined  that  the  tower  of  Babel 
was  undertaken  out  of  fear  of  a  second  deluge,  and  there 
fore,  the  projectors  resolved  to  raise  a  structure  of  sufficient 
height  to  fly  to  in  case  of  danger ;  among  them  may  be 
classed  Josephus.  Others,  who,  knowing  beforehand  they 


Xvi  INTRODUCTION. 

should  be  dispersed  through  all  the  countries  of  the  world 
they  built  this  tower  to  defeat  the  design  of  the  Almighty ; 
because,  having  a  tower  of  such  vast  height  as  they  pro 
posed,  those  who  were  at  a  distance,  might  easily  find  their 
way  back  again — so  thinks  Usher.  But  had  either  of  these 
been  their  real  design,  they  would  rather  have  chosen 
some  high  mountain,  such  as  Ararat,  for  their  mark,  than 
have  built  any  tower  whatever ;  for  it  can  scarcely  be  sup 
posed,  that  they  were  so  foolish  as  to  imagine  they  could 
really  reach  heaven  with  their  structure ;  and  though 
Moses  so  expresses  himself,  his  words  ought  not  to  convey 
any  other  idea  than  to  those  of  the  same  historian  and  his 
countrymen,  which  describe  cities  (Deut.  i.  28.  ix.  1.)  as 
walled  up  to  heaven,  when  they  speak  of  very  strong 
places. 

A  third  class  of  writers  suppose  that  the  top  of  this  tow 
er  was  not  designed  to  reach  to  heaven,  but  to  be  conse 
crated  to  the  heavenly  bodies ;  in  other  words,  that  on  its 
top  was  to  be  raised  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  the  sun, 
moon,  stars,  fire,  air,  &c.,  and  that,  therefore,  the  true 
Deity  interposed  his  presence  to  prevent  a  total  and  irre- 
con-cileable  defection ;  such  is  the  opinion  of  Tenison. 
But  whatever  might  have  been  the  scheme  of  these  build 
ers,  it  is  sufficiently  evident  that  the  project  was  displea 
sing  to  the  Almighty,  who  finally  confounded  their  airy 
plans  by  miraculously  introducing  different  languages,  or 
at  least  different  dialects  of  the  former  universal  language. 

By  this  confusion,  those  who-  spoke  the  same  dialect, 
cojasorted  together,  and  separated  themselves  from  the 
families  or  tribes  whose  language  they  no  longer  could  un 
derstand.  Thus  was  mankind  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
forming  as  many  different  parties  as  they  had  languages 
among  them.  As  those  different  tribes  dispersed  themselveg 
into  many  countries,  and  had  no  intercourse  with  each  other, 
it  was  necessary  that  the  essentials  of  their  religion,  man 
ners  and  customs,  should  also  undergo  a  change.  This 
was  actually  the  case,  for  mankind,  immediately  after  the 
confusion  of  tongues,  was  split  into  many  distinct  nations, 


INTRODUCTION.  XVII 

speaking  a  variety  of  dialects,  while  they  also  adopted 
modes  of  living  quite  different  from  those  which  they  prac 
tised  on  the  plains  of  Shinar,  where  they  lived  together. 

Thus,  therefore,  was  the  tower  of  Babel,  memorable  for 
the  great  event  of  the  confusion  of  languages,  consequent 
upon  its  projection,  as  well  as  by  its  being  the  original  of 
the  temple  of  Belus,  deemed  among  the  ancients  as  one  of 
the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  But,  such  is  the  transitory 
nature  of  all  that  pertains  to  man,  that  it  is  now  a  heap  of 
ruins,  and  so  utterly  defaced,  that  the  people  of  the  country 
are  not  certain  of  its  real  site. 

As  mankind  increased  and  multiplied  in  the  different 
countries  which  they  inhabited,  several  bodies  were  sent 
out  to  seek  their  fortune  in  strange  lands.  Finding  that 
they  were  fine  and  delightful  countries,  which  promised 
them  great  felicity,  they  were  soon  induced  to  separate  and 
form  new  settlements.  Others,  by  reason  of  civil  and 
domestic  quarrels,  were  driven  abroad,  and  passed  into 
distant  regions  far  beyond  the  encroachment  of  an  enemy. 

Thus  they  spread  themselves  over  almost  the  greater 
part  of  Asia;  but  their  roving  and  wandering  disposition 
was  not  yet  satisfied,  until,  by  continued  migrations,  they 
extended  their  discoveries  throughout  Africa,  Europe,  and 
finally  America. 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  view,  as  briefly  as  possible, 
the  Creation,  the  site  of  Paradise,  the  Antediluvians,  the 
Deluge,  and  the  foundation  of  Nations  by  the  posterity  of 
Noah,  in  order  to  descend  gradually  to  the  dispersion  of 
mankind  and  the  settlement  of  countries,  so  that  we  may 
thus  discover  which  of  the  three  sons  of  Noah,  the  Amer 
ican  Indians  should  claim  as  the  founder  of  their  nation. 
Although  this  inquiry  might,  at  first  sight,  appear  as  some 
what  foreign  to  the  subject  which  we  have  undertaken  to 
illustrate,  namely  the  origin  of  the  Indians,  still  a  concise 
account  of  these  great  events  in  the  history  of  man  may 
not  prove  useless  to  many  of  our  readers,  who  might  not 
have,  hitherto,  paid  any  particular  attention  to  these  sub 
jects.  We  ,hope,  therefore,  that  the  novelty  of  our  plan, 
2* 


XV111  INTRODUCTION. 

while  it  tends,  not  only  to  trace  the  origin  of  the  RKD  MEN 
of  America,  but  that  of  almost  all  other  nations  likewise, 
will  be  equally  gratifying  to  the  scientific  and  the  curio  as. 


CREATION  OF  THE  WORLD. 

In  order  to  arrive  at  the  particular  era,  when  the  mat 
ter  of  this  earth  was  called  into  existence,  philosophers 
have  amused  themselves  in  various  ways.  The  materials 
of  which  it  was  composed,  and  the  means  whereby  they 
were  disposed  in  the  order  in  which  we  behold  them,  is  a 
subject  also,  which,  though  far  beyond  the  reach  of 
human  sagacity,  has  nevertheless  originated  theories  and 
controversies  almost  without  number,  among  the  learned  of 
all  ages  and  countries.  Many  imagine  that  the  world  had 
no  beginning,  but  existed  from  all  eternity,  while  others 
are  of  opinion  that  it  did  exist  at  some  particular  time 
unknown  to  man  and  that  it  was  destroyed  at  different 
times  by  some  great  revolution  in  nature. 

With  regard  to  the  opinion,  that  the  world  existed  from 
eternity,  none  of  the  ancient  philosophers  seem  to  have 
had  the  least  idea  of  its  being  possible  to  produce  some 
thing  out  of  nothing,  not  even  by  the  power  of  the  Deity 
itself;  hence  must  have  arisen  the  erroneous  opinion  that 
the  world  had  no  beginning.  Next  to  this  system,  came 
the  doctrine,  that,  though  the  matter  of  the  world  be  eter 
nal,  its  form  is  mutable. 

The  learned  have  observed,  calculated,  and  commemor 
ated  the  appearances  and  revolutions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  to  the  system  of  which  this  orb  belongs ;  they  have 
penetrated  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  and  the  depths  oi 
the  ocean,  to  trace  the  irregular  dispositions  of  these  strata, 
and  the  strange  confusion  in  which  their  materials  are 
often  intermingled  together ;  yet  their  researches  hav 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

ended  only  with  suggestions,  that  these  spheres  have  con 
tinued  to  roll  through  countless  ages.  While  some  have 
asserted,  that  the  idea  of  creating  a  world  out  of  nothing, 
is  at  once  a  contradiction  to  reason,  which  is  sufficient  to 
overthrow  the  doctrine  of  revelation,  others  have  boldly 
stood  forth  and  maintained,  in  support  of  the  sacred 
writings,  that  the  fact  of  creation  out  of  nothing,  by  an 
INFINITELY  powerful  and  wise  self-existent  God,  so  far 
from  being  repugnant  to  reason,  to  say  nothing  of  revela 
tion,  is  highly  probable,  and  demonstrably  certain. 

If  we  refer  to  sacred  writing  for  the  ascertainment  of 
truth  or  knowledge  on  this  point,  we  only  learn  that  the 
world  had  a  beginning,  without  stating  any  particular 
period ;  for  Moses,  in  alluding  to  the  commencement  of 
things,  goes  no  farther  than  to  say,  that  in  the  beginning 
God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  From  this 
general  language  of  the  Divine  lawgiver,  we  cannot  evi 
dently  ascertain  the  particular  period  at  which  the  world 
began  to  exist. 

Indeed  all  the  philosophical  inquiries  which  have  been 
made  in  all  ages,  concerning  the  beginning  of  the  crea 
tion,  have  not  as  yet  been  able  to  enlarge  the  testimonies 
of  sacred  history,  or  refute  its  authority  by  showing  any 
inconsistency  or  contradiction  in  its  venerated  narratives. 
With  all  the  ingenuity,  therefore,  of  the  scientific,  either 
ancient  or  modern,  no  evidence  has  been  produced,  by 
which  we  can  reasonably  doubt  or  improve  the  Mosaic 
account 


INTRODUCTION. 


SITUATION  OF  PARADISE. 


We  have  thought  proper  to  allude  to  this  subject,  in 
order  to  controvert  the  theory,  that  in  America  Adam  and 
Eve  first  drew  the  breath  of  life ;  for  few  can  be  ignorant 
of  the  fact,  that  a  treatise  has  been  written,  showing  how 
the  whole  world  is  indebted  to  America  for  its  inhabit 
ants. 

This,  as  well  as  every  other  subject  of  antiquity,  has 
originated  a  variety  of  speculative  opinions.  Those  who 
entertained  the  most  extravagant  notions  concerning  a 
local  paradise,  have  placed  it  within  the  orb  of  the  moon, 
in  the  moon  itself,  in  the  middle  regions  of  the  air,  and  in 
many  other  places  which  their  fancy  might  point  out. 
Such,  however,  have  wandered  without  the  province  of 
reason  and  probability.  Many  have  denied  that  there  did 
exist  such  a  place  as  the  garden  of  Eden,  interpreting 
that  part  of  scripture  which  alludes  to  it,  in  an  allegorical 
sense,  and  alleging  that  the  ancients,  and  especially  the 
Eastern  nations,  had  a  peculiar  and  a  mysterious  mode  of 
delivering  their  divinity  and  philosophy,  and  that  the 
latter  is  frequently  adopted  in  scripture,  in  explaining 
natural  things,  sometimes  to  accommodate  the  capacities 
of  the  people,  and  at  others,  to  describe  the  real,  but 
more  hidden  truth.  But  though  it  is  admitted,  that  some 
of  the  ancient  philosophers  affected  such  an  allegorical 
way  of  writing,  to  conceal  their  notions  from  the  vulgar ; 
ve*  it  is  apparent,  that  Moses  had  no  such  design ;  and  as 
ne  assumes  to  relate  matters  of  fact,  just  as  they  occured, 
without  disguise  or  art,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  the 
history  of  the  fall  is  not  to  be  taken  in  a  literal  sense,  as 
well  as  the  rest  of  his  writings. 

Some  who  conceded  its  reality,  ha\e  rambled  through 
countries  unknown  to  ftian;  while  others  discovered  it, 
under  the  north  pole,  and  in  that  place  which  is  now 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

occupied  by  the  Caspian  Sea.  It  has  also  been  boidiyand 
stubbornly  maintained,  that  the  site  of  paradise  was  to  be 
discovered  in  America,  that  it  was  here  that  Adam  and 
Eve  first  drew  the  breath  of  life ;  and  that  it  is  to  America 
the  whole  world  is  indebted  for  its  inhabitants. 

The  opinions,  even  of  the  more  rational  inquirers,  are 
very  strangely  divided.  Tartary,  China,  Persia,  Armenia, 
Mesopotamia,  Chaldea,  Arabia,  Palestine,  Syria,  Ethiopia, 
and  even  Sweden,  have  been  ransacked  in  search  of  this 
wonderful  garden. 

The  opinion  has  likewise  prevailed,  that  the  whole  earth 
was  originally  in  a  paradisaical  state  of  beauty,  although 
Moses,  say  they,  has  put  a  part  for  the  whole,  that  man 
might  better  conceive  the  primitive  appearance  of  the 
earth,  which  was  afterwards  destroyed  by  the  violent  con 
cussions  of  nature,  caused  by  the  general  deluge. 

If  we  consider  the  general  habit  which  prevailed  in  the 
early  ages  of  allegorizing  every  obscure  passage  of  scrip 
ture,  we  need  not  at  all  be  surprised  at  the  diversity  of 
opinions.  There  is  a  certain  portion  of  mankind,  the 
Jews,  who  are  more  immediately  connected  with  the  his 
tory  of  Moses  than  any  other  people,  and  from  them  we 
would  naturally  expect  to  receive  some  information  on  the 
subject ;  yet  they  are  so  utterly  ignorant  of  the  geography 
of  the  sacred  history,  and  of  the  situation  of  Paradise,  that 
there  is  no  wonder  why  this  question  should  not  be  easily 
solved.  Josephus,  their  historian,  supposes  that  the  Nile 
and  the  Ganges  wTere  two  of  its  four  rivers ;  and  in  this 
opinion  he  is  supported  by  some  of  the  Christian  fathers. 

Near  Tripoli,  there  is  a  place  called  Eden ;  the  river 
Tigris  has  an  island  of  the  name  of  Eden;  and  near 
Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  there  is  a  city  still  going  under  the  name 
of  Adena  or  Aden.  In  Syria,  there  is  Eden ;  and  in 
Chaldea,  about  T'elassar,  there  is  another.  These  two  are 
mentioned  in  the  Mosaical  account,  the  latter  of  which 
may,  very  probably,  be  the  famous  garden. 

It  may  here  be  observed,  that  Eden  or  Aden  signifies, 


INTR.ODUCTIOI*. 

in  the  Hebrew,  pleasure ;  and  hence  any  delightful  situa 
tion  would  sometimes  receive  this  name. 

But  let  us  now  attend,  for  a  moment,  to  the  description 
of  Moses  himself.  "  And  the  Lord  God  planted  a  garden 
eastward  in  Eden ;  and  a  river  went  out  of  Eden  to  water 
that  garden ;  and  from  thence  it  was  parted  and  became 
into  four  heads.  The  name  of  the  first  is  Pison :  That  is 
it  which  compasses  the  whole  land  of  Havilah,  where 
there  is  gold;  and  the  gold  of  that  land  is  good;  there  is 
bdellium  and  the  onyxstone.  And  the  name  of  the  second 
river  is  Gihon ;  the  same  is  it  which  compasses  the  whole 
land  of  Ethiopia,  or  Cush,  And  the  name  of  the  third 
river  is  Hiddekel,  that  is  it  which  goes  toward  the  east  of 
(or  eastward  to)  Assyria.  And  the  fourth  river  is  Eu 
phrates." 

From  this  particular  geographical  description  of  Eden, 
it  is  not  possible  that  Moses  could  be  speaking  in  an  al 
legorical  language-  If  this  be  an  imaginary  paradise 
which  he  describes  so  minutely,  it  follows  that  his  lan 
guage  was  also  figurative,  when  he  tells  that  the  ark  rested 
on  Mount  Ararat,  and  that  the  sons  of  Noah  removed  to 
the  Plains  of  Shinar :  for  the  three  scenes  are  described 
by  the  sacred  historian,  as  immediately  succeeding  one 
another.  Eden,  then,  according  to  Moses,  was  bounded 
by  countries  and  rivers  well  known  in  his  time,  and  some 
of  them  go  to  this  very  day,  under  the  same  names  which 
he  gives  them.  It  must,  evidently,  therefore,  have  been  his 
intention  to  point  out  to  the  post-diluvian  world,  where 
Eden  and  Paradise  were  situated  in  the  former  world. 
We  also  see,  that  he  does  not  make  use  of  antediluvian 
names  in  his  description  of  this  garden ;  but,  as  we  have 
already  said,  of  names  of  later  date  than  the  flood.  The 
deluge,  it  is  true,  has  greatly  disfigured  the  face  of  the 
earth  ;  but  we  are  aware,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  con 
vulsion  has  been  more  fatal  in  some  places  than  others  ; 
and  if  there  had  been  no  indication  or  marks  of  it  remain 
ing,  Moses  would  not  surely  be  so  confident  in  describing 
its  particular  situation 


INTRODUCTION. 

Without  examining  here  all  the  opinions  which  have 
been  entertained  on  this  subject  we  shall  pass  on  to  the 
more  rational  conjectures  of  various  eminent  men.  They 
consist  of  three  schemes;  the  first  is  espoused  by  the 
learned  Heidegger,  Le  Clere,  Pere  Abraham,  and  Pere 
Hardouin,  who  place  Paradise  near  Damascus,  in  Syria, 
about  the  springs  of  Jordan.  Notwithstanding,  however, 
the  reputation  of  these  men,  this  opinion  appears  to 
have  no  foundation.  We  must  first  discover  those  marks 
which  are  mentioned  in  the  Mosaic  description,  before 
we  can  admit  its  probability. 

Sanson,  Reland,  and  Calmet,  who  wrere  no  less  renowned 
for  learning,  come  next  with  their  opinions.  According 
to  them,  Eden  was  situated  in  Armenia,  between  the 
sources  of  the  Tigris,  the  Euphrates,  the  Araxes,  and  the 
Phasis.  Although  the  diligent  and  learned  Strabo,  and 
other  ancient  geographers,  have  informed  us  that  the 
Phasis  rises  in  the  mountains  of  Armenia,  near  the  springs 
of  the  Euphrates,  the  Araxes  and  the  Tigris ;  yet  from 
modern  dfscoveries  we  are  led  to  assign  it  a  different 
source,  by  going  to  Mount  Caucasus,  where  it  takes  its 
rise.  Besides,  the  Phasis  does  not  flow  from  south  to  north, 
but  from  north  to  south.  According  to  this  supposition, 
we  want  a  whole  river,  which  joins  the  Araxes  before  it 
falls  into  the  Caspian  Sea.  This  hypothesis,  however,  is 
supported  by  Mr.  Tournefort,  an  authority,  certainly 
worthy  of  some  notice. 

Huet,  ,bishop  of  Soissons  and  Avranches,  Stephanus 
Morinus,  Bochart,  and  several  others  highly  versed  in  the 
geography  of  that  country,  stand  forth  in  defence  of  the 
third  scheme,  which  certainly  seems  the  least  objectionable 
of  the  three.  By  them  Eden  is  placed  upon  the  united 
streams  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  called  by  the  Arabs, 
Shat-al-Arab,  which  signifies  the  river  of  the  Arabs.  It 
begins  two  days'  journey  above  Bassora,  and  divides  again 
into  two  channels  about  five  leagues  below.  These 
channels  empty  themselves  in  the  Persian  Gulf.  Thus, 
the  Shat-al-Arab  must,  consequently,  be  the  river  going 


INTRODUCTION. 

out  of  Eden,  which  river,  considered  according  to  the 
disposition  of  its  channel,  and  not  according  to  the  cp/irse 
of  its  stream,  divides  into  four  heads  or  different  branches, 
which  make  the  four  rivers  mentioned  by  Moses ;  twc  be 
low,  viz.,  the  two  branches  of  the  Shat,  which  serve  for 
the  Pison  and  Gihon ;  and  two  above,  viz.,  the  Euphrates 
and  Tigris;  the  latter  whereof  is  called  Dijlat  by  the 
Arabs,  and  is  now  allowed  to  be  the  Hiddekel  of  Moses. 
By  this  disposition,  the  western  branch  of  the  Shat  will  be 
the  Pison,  and  the  adjoining  part  of  Arabia,  bordering  on 
the  Persian  Gulf,  will  be  the  Havilah ;.  and  the  eastern 
branch  will  be  the  Gihon,  encompassing  the  country  of 
Cush  or  Chuzestan,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Persians. 

We  see  not,  therefore,  why  this  last  opinion  should  not 
coincide  with  the  account  of  Moses,  who  tells  us,  that  a 
"  river  went  out  of  Eden  to  wrater  the  garden,  and  from 
thence  it  wras  parted,  and  became  into  four  heads." — 
Moses  cannot  be  misunderstood  here,  for  he  expressly 
says,  that  in  Eden  there  was  but  one  river,  and  that, 
having  gone  out,  it  was  parted  and  became  four  streams 
or  openings,  two  upwards  and  two  downwards.  If  .we 
suppose  the  Shat-al-Arab  to  be  the  common  centre,  by 
looking  towards  Babylon,  we  may  see  the  Tigris  and  Eu-  j 

phrates  coming  into  it,  and  by  looking  down  towards  the 
Persian  Gulf,  we  may  see  the  Pison  and  Gihon  running 
out  of  it. 

Whatever  objection  may  be  made  against  this  hypothe 
sis,  none  appears  to  be  more  consistent-  with  the  descrip 
tion  of  Moses.  By  this  supposition,  Eden  is  reasonably 
placed  in  the  great  channel  formed  by  the  united  streams 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates ;  besides,  the  fertility  of  the 
neighboring  country,  Mesopotamia  and  Chaldea,  should,  in 
a  great  measure,  tend  to  confirm  this  belief.  We  are  as 
sured  by  several  modern  travellers,  that  there  is  not  a 
finer  nor  a  richer  country  in  all  the  dominions  of  the  Grand 
Signior,  than  that  which  lies  between  Bagdad  and  Bas- 
sora,  being  the  very  tract  which,  according  to  this  scheme, 
was  anciently  called  the  Land  of  Eden. 


INTRODUCTION.  XTT 


THE  ANTEDILUVIANS. 


A  single  pair  were  the  first  progenitors  of  the  whole 
human  race,  but  their  primitive  innocence  and  felicity 
were  quickly  lost  in  misery  and  guilt ;  and  the  unfortunate 
circumstances  which  produced  the  fatal  change  in  their 
own  condition  as  well  as  in  that  of  their  posterity,  are  al 
ready  too  well  known  to  receive  the  slightest  comment 
froiu  us.  In  the  progress  of  their  lives,  however,  their 
offspring  became  numerous.  Dissension  and  mutual  hatred 
increased  as  they  multiplied  in  numbers.  Crimes  and  vices 
were  introduced  among  men  from  the  very  moment  that 
Cain  imbued  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  brother  Abel. 

In  the  mean  time  the  posterity  of  Cain  improved  the 
arts  taught  them  by  Jabal  and  his  brothers.-  They  built 
cities — -their  various  degrees  of  strength  or  of  industry 
had  produced  inequality  of  condition ;  opulence  had  sub 
stituted  artificial  and  extravagant  luxuries  for  the  simple 
and  pure  pleasures  of  nature;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
interruption  of  peace,  which  was  caused  by  the  growing 
depravity  of  the  age,  they  still  pursued  a  connubial  union, 
which  so  rapidly  multiplied  their  numbers,  that  many  dif 
ferent  generations  were  contemporary  upon  the  earth. 

Josephus  relates,  that  the  children  of  Seth,  by  the  con 
templation  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  science  of  astronomy ;  and,  understanding  from  a  pre 
diction  of  Adam,  that  the  earth  was  to  be  destroyed,  once 
by  water,  and  once  by  fire,  they  engraved  their  observa 
tions  on  two  pillars,  called  the  pillars  of  Seth — the  one 
of  stone  to  preserve  them  from  the  effects  of  the  flood ;  the 
other  of  brick,  to  resist  the  violence  of  fire.  There  is 
every  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  the  beginning  of 
the  general  corruption  arose  from  the  unhappy  marriages 
of  the  sons  of  Seth  with  the  daughters  of  Cain,  so  that 
3 


INTRODUCTION. 

their  manners  w?re  soon  depraved,  and  at  length  they  had 
degenerated  so  far,  that  "  the  wickedness  of  man  was  very 
great  on  the  earth,  and  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually  " 

The  wickedness  of  the  antediluvian  world  may  be  ac 
counted  fqr  in  various  ways.  They  had  a  hereditary  pro 
pensity  to  evil,  derived  from  Adam,  their  common  apostate 
father ;  and  this  degeneracy  was  soon  discovered  in  the 
murder  of  Abel.  Vice,  like  contagion,  spread,  and  so 
quickly  did  it  contaminate  the  whole  family  of  mankind, 
that  "  it  repented  the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man  on  the 
earth."  The  longevity  which  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  attained,  contributed,  in  a  great  measure,  to  intro 
duce  those  vicious  practices  which  'the  present  short  du 
ration  of  human  life  can  seldom  imbibe.  In  the  course  of 
eight  or  nine  hundred  years,  the  usual  age  of  antediluvi 
ans,  the  same  person  could  obtain  immense  wealth,  which 
should  naturally  tend  to  the  enjoyment  of  splendour,  ele- 
gance  and  luxury,  so  that  a  lust  after  sensual  pleasures 
would  wholly  occupy  the  hearts  of  those  uncultivated 
people.  Living  together,  as  they  did  in  the  early  ages  of 
the  world,  and  speaking  the  same  languages,  we  may 
naturally  suppose  that  the  vice  of  the  one  would  be  rea 
dily  imparted  to  the  other,  until  the  whole  community  was 
tainted  with  the  common  malady. 


INTRODUCTION. 


XXVll 


THE  DELUGE. 


Amid  this  general  perversion  of  the  human  heart,  when 
mankind  were  running  headlong  into  all  manner  of  vice, 
Noah,  the  son  of  Lamech,  was  born.  Of  all  the  numerous 
population,  by  which  the  earth  was  inhabited  at  this  time, 
Noah  aloift  was  found  perfect  in  the  sight  of  God ;  he, 
therefore,  found  grace  before  the  Almighty,  who  declared 
to  him  his  determination  of  bringing  a  deluge  of  watei 
upon  the  earth,  to  destroy  all  who  dwelt  thereon.  Lament 
ing  this  sad  state  of  society,  and  knowing  the  impend 
ing  judgment  with  which  God  had  threatened  to  visit  a 
sinful  world,  Noah  stood  forth,  without  fear  or  dismay,  as 
"  a  preacher  of  righteousness,"  to  bring  his  fellow-men  to 
a  recollection  of  their  impiety,  and  a  just  sense  of  their 
danger;  yet  his  Divine  admonitions  were  of  no  a\7aiJ. 
The  haughtiness,  the  incorrigible  obstinacy,  and  the  uni 
versal  depravity  which  pervaded  all  ranks  and  sexes  were 
not  to  be  easily  affected  by  the  preaching,  counsel,  and 
authority  of  this  one  righteous  man. 

During  all  that  period  which  expired  in  the  building  01 
the  ark,  Noah  never  ceased  to  warn  and  remind  a  guilty 
people  of  the  approaching  desolation.  Carelessly  and  in 
dependently  they  proceeded  in  the  commission  of  sin,  and 
often  amused  themselves  with  Noah's  folly  in  his  vain  at 
tempt  to  construct  the  means  of  preserving  the  human 
race  from  general  ruin.  >  Although  God  had  allotted  120 
years  for  men  to  repent  and  escape,  yet  all  was  in  vain ! 
The  heart  of  man,  depraved  and  ruined  by  the  fall  was 
deaf  to  the  awful  warning,  and  the  whole  was  treated 
with  derision.  The'  vengeance  of  Heaven  was  not,  how 
ever,  to  be  much  longer  restrained.  The  great  fabric  01 
salvation  was  at  last  finished.  The  awful  period  was  at 
hand;  yet  Noah  and  his  family  were  akne  to  be  saved 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  other  particulars  appertaining  to  this  catastrophe  are 
already  too  well  known  to  require  any  notice  here. 

In  departing  from  the  antediluvian  world,  it  might  be 
inquired,  how  it  came  to  pass,  that,  in  those  days,  people 
attained  *to  so  extraordinary  a  longevity.  In  order  to 
reply  to  this  question  of  curiosity,  we  must  form  various 
conjectures.  Some  writers,  to  reconcile  the  matter  with 
probability,  have  asserted  that  the  antediluvians  computed 
their  ages  by  lunar  months,  and  not  by  solar  years :  but  this 
expedient  would  reduce  the  length  of  their  lives  to  a 
shorter  period  than  our  own.  If  this  hypothesis  Fe  admitted 
as  probable,  it  must  necessarily  follow,  that  some  of  them 
were  fathers  at  the  absurd  age  of  six  or  seven  years.  Be 
sides,  the  whole  interval  between  the  Creation  and  the 
Deluge  would  then  be  contracted  to  less  than  two  hundred 
years.  This  supposition,  therefore,  we  shall,  at  once,  re 
ject  as  incredible. 

For  this  longevity  there  are,  however,  reasons  suffici 
ently  obvious.  In  the  first  place,  we  must  suppose,  that, 
while  the  earth  was  inhabited  by  a  scanty  population, 
commencing  with  a  single  pair,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  endow  men  with  a  stronger  frame,  and  to  allow  them  a 
longer  continuance  on  earth,  for  peopling  it  with  inhabit 
ants.  Philosophers,  likewise,  contend,  and  in  our  opinion, 
on  very  reasonable  grounds,  that  the  qualities,  of  the  air, 
and  consequently  the  stamina  of  the  human  constitution, 
were  greatly  altered  for  the  worse  by  the  several  changes 
which  the  world  must  have  undergone  at  the  flood.  We 
are,  indeed,  convinced,  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt,  that 
the  Deluge  affected,  most  materially,  the  whole  body  of 
nature;  but,  whether  that  alteration  has  tended  to  contract 
the  duration  of  human  life,  we  cannot  possibly  ascertain. 
We  are,  likewise  aware,  from  daily  experience,  that  cli 
mate,  food,  and  mode  of  living,  have  a  tendency  to  length 
en  or  shorten  the  days  of  man. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXIX 


THE  FOUNDATION  OF  NATIONS 
BY  THE  POSTERITY  OF    JAPHET. 

By  the  sacred  historian  we  are  informed,  that  Noah, 
soon  after  landing  from  the  ark,  betook  himself  to  hus 
bandry,  and  planted  a  vineyard.  Of  the  juice  of  the  grape 
he  drank  so  freely,  it  seems,  that  he  lay  in  a  state  of  in 
ebriety,  carelessly  uncovered  in  his  tent.  In  this  condition 
he  was  discovered  by  his  youngest  son  Ham,  who,  on 
seeing  him,  called  to  his  brethren  Japhet  and  Shem,  tnat 
they  might  witness  his  unbecoming  situation.  But  they, 
mindful  of  their  filial  duty,  and  the  respect  due  to  their 
parent,  in  place  of  exposing  and  ridiculing  their  father's 
nakedness,  as  Ham  did,  took  a  garment  between  them, 
and,  walking  in  backward,  covered  Noah  and  retired. 
Having  awoke  from  his  sleep  and  wine,  and  become  ac 
quainted  with  what  had  happened,  he  pronounced  a  pro 
phetic  epitome  of  the  history  of  his  posterity.  "  Cursed  -be 
Canaan,"  said  he, "  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto 
his  brethren.  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Shem,  and 
Canaan  shall  be  his  servant.  God  shall  enlarge  Japhet, 
and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall 
be  his  servant." 

The  extirpation  of  the  Canaanites,  the  subjugation  of  the 
i  Phoenicians  and  Carthagenians,  the  slavery  of  the  African 

negroes  would  seem  to  be  fulfilments  of  the  curse  pro 
nounced  on  Canaan,  the  son  of  Ham,  as  these  people  were 
evidently  his  descendants. 

Japhet  was  the  common  progenitor  of  almost  the  one 
half  of  the  human  race,  through  his  son  Gomer.  All 
European  nations  were  desdended  from  the  Gomarians,  or 
Gomerites.  The  Lesser  Asia,  or  Asia  Minor,  with  the 
"  isles  of  the  Gentiles,"  and  some  of  the  vast  regions  an 
ciently  inhabited  by  the  Scythians  were  peopled  by  the 
descendants  of  Japhet. 
3* 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

At  a  very  early  period,  numerous  migrations  from 
Greece  poured  into  the  western  parts  of  Asia  Minor,  on 
the  coasts  of  which  many  powerful  kingdoms  or  common 
wealths  were  established,  under  the  names  of  .^Eolia  and 
Ionia.  In  the  north-west  part  of  this  peninsula  was  also 
the  famous  kingdom  of  Troy ;  but  the  whole  now  forms 
part  of  Turkey  in  Asia. 

The  writers  of  ancient  history  generally  agree,  that  the 
descendants  of  Gomer,  the  eldest  son  of  Japhet,  settled  in 
the  northern  parts  of  Europe,  whence  they  spread  them 
selves  to  the  adjacent  regions,  and  the  isles  qfthe  Gcn- 
tileSj  by  which  expression  Europe  is  generally  understood, 
as  it  contained  those  countries  to  which  the  Hebrews  were 
obliged  to  go  to  by  sea,  such  as  the  lesser  Asia,  Greece, 
Italy,  Spain,  Gaul,  and  the  islands  in  the  JEgean  and 
Mediterranean  seas. 

In  the  process  of  time,  the  descendants  of  Gomer  assumed 
different  national  appellations.  They  were  first  knowTn  to 
the  Greeks  under  the  name  of  Cimmerii,  or  Cimbri,  which 
is  still  preserved  by  the  inhabitants  of  Wales,  in  the  words 
Cimbrian  or  Cambrian.  But  the  Cimbri  of  the  ancients, 
or  rather  Cimmerii,  was  evidently  a  modification  of  the 
Greeks  and  Latins,  from  the  more  original  term  Cymro  and 
Cumeri,  representing  the  still  more  original  appellation 
Comer.  In  their  various  migrations  and  subsequent  settle 
ments  in  different  countries,  they  were  called  Sacse,  Titani, 
Celto-Scyths,  Celt-Iberi,  Galatai,  Galli,  and  Celtce ;  that 
is  the  people  of  Sacastena,  Titans,  Celto-Scythians,  Celt- 
Iberians,  Galatians,  Gauls,  and  Celts.  To  Gomer,  there 
fore,  we  may  attribute  the  origin  of  all  the  primitive  in 
habitants  of  Europe  and  a  great  part  of  Asia,  including 
the  Ancient  Briton  ;  and  Irish. 

The  Irish  and  Scots  of  the  present  day,  who  speak  the 
Celtic  language,  once  so  universal  over  Europe,  are  beyond 
any  possibility  of  doubt,  the  only  pure  remnants  of  Gomer. 
With  regard  to  the  assertion  of  one  of  the  most  elevated 
and  influential  English  peers,  "  that  the  Irish  were  aliens 
in  language,  nation,  &c.,"  we  have  only  to  say,  that,  if  the 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXI 


present  race  of  Celtic  Irish  are  the  descendants  of  the 
aborigines  of  Britain  and  Ireland,  as  undoubtedly  they 
are,  it  mast  sound  strange  in  their  ears,  to  hear  themselves 
called  strangers  in  the  land  which  they  have  inherited 
and  inhabited  from  time  immemorial 


MAGOG,  THE  PROGENITOR  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN 
INDIANS. 


Magog,  the  second  son  of  Japhet,  founded  those  who 
were,  after  him,  called  the  Magogites,  but  whom  the 
Greeks  named  Scythians.  According  to  Josephus,  St. 
Jeronymus,  the  majority  of  the  Christian  fathers,  and 
some  of  the  most  eminent  historians  and  geographers, 
ancient  and  modern,  Magog  was  the  founder  and  father 
of  the  Scythians,  Tartars,  and  Moguls,  and  consequently 
of  the  Siberians,  and  all  these  north-eastern  tribes.  The 
Arabs  place  Magog,  whom  they  call  Majuj,  to  the  farther 
end  of  Tartary,  towards  the  north  and  north-east.  There 
is  not  the  least  doubt,  therefore,  but  the  posterity  of  Ma 
gog  were  those  who  wandered  north  and  north-eastward, 
after  the  dispersion  of  the  children  of  Noah  from  their 
primeval  seats ;  and  the  Scythians  were,  perhaps,  the  first 
and  the  most  numerous. 

At  this  early  state  of  society,  when  mankind  were  but 
loosely  combined  together  in  social  union,  every  quarrel, 
every  crime,  every  fond  fancy  or  moody  disgust,  continu 
ally  prompted  emigration;  and  even  the  most  remote 
and  inhospitable  parts  of  the  earth  w^ere  beginning  to 
receive  human  inhabitants.  For  nearly  thirty  years,  after 
having  harassed  and  broken  the  monarchies  of  the  south, 
the  Scythians  were  the  lords  also  of  western  Asia.  At  the 
time  when  the  Assyrian  empire  was  at  its  highest  pitch 


INTRODUCTION. 

of  greatness  they  advanced  with  a  destructive  career, 
through  the  kngdoms  of  the  south. 

As  last,  luxury,  disunion,  and  the  effects  of  a  climate 
and  habits  of  life  to  which  they  were  unaccustomed, 
v/asted  the  Scythian  forces,  until  at  last  the  reins  of  the 
empire  of  Asia  dropped  from  their  enfeebled  hands  and 
they  retired  with  diminished  numbers,  to  the  desolate 
plains  of  the  north  and  north-east. 

With  regard,  -more  particularly  to  our  subject,  we  must 
admit  that  almost  all  the  northern  countries  of  Asia  were 
colonized  by  Scythians,  the  descendants  of  Magog.  We 
are  also  to  look  upon  these  bleak  regions  of  the  north  as 
the  quarter  from  whence  America  must  have  received,  at 
a  very  early  period,  a  great  portion  of  its  aboriginal  inhab 
itants.  But,  whether  the  South  American  Indians,  and 
other  tribes  who  must  have  had  possession  of  North  Amer 
ica,  prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  present  race,  inasmuch  as 
they  were  certainly  more  civilized,  came  from  Tartary, 
and  Siberia,  in  the  north,  is  a  question  which  we  may, 
hereafter,  have  occasion  to  examine.  Now  as  to  the  opin 
ion,  that  Siberia,  Calmuck  Tartary,  and  the  peninsula  of 
Kamschatska,  owe  their  inhabitants  to  the  ancient  Scy 
thians,  we  believe  it  to  be  beyond  a  mere  conjecture.  In 
confirmation  of  this,  we  may  here  refer  to  the  testimony  of 
Eugenius  Cabolski,  and  Monsieur  Piston.  The  former 
was  a  missionary  in  Siberia  for  seven  years,  and  wrote  a 
treatise  in  the  Latin  tongue,  on  the  origin  of  the  Tartars 
and  other  northern  tribes ;  the  latter  was  a  French  travel 
ler  under  the  patronage  of  the  Russian  government. 

".All  those"  says  Cabolski,  "who  are  acquainted  with 
ancient  history,  may  know,  that  the  Scythians,  both  with 
in  and  without  the  mountains  of  Imaus,  inhabited  those 
countries  which -are  now  called  North  Siberia  and  Kam 
schatska  ;  for  we  may  understand  so,  because  the  name 
Magog  is  still  preserved  in  many  families,  towns,  an-1 
fortifications."* 

*Lib.  ii.  cap.  10.  Omnes  qui  historic  antiq  use  sunt  periti,  Scythas 
intra  Imaum,  nee  non  extra  Imaum,  has  regiones  qua?  nunc  Siberia  et 


INTRODUCTION.  XXX111 

Mansie  or  Piston  is  still  more  clear  on  this  point ;  but, 
as  we  shall  refer  to  him  again  these  brief  observations 
may  suffice  at  present. 

"  As  I  have  already  endeavoured,"  he  says,  "  to  point 
out  the  different  modes  in  which  these  nations  of  the 
North  resemble  each  other,  every  one  can  make  his  own 
conclusions." 

"  If  a  person,"  he  adds  in  another  place,  "  pays  attention 
to  the  striking  circumstance,  that  names  of  mountains, 
towns,  and  rivers,  can  be  discovered  in  Tartary,  and  in 
Siberia,  which  indicate  their  antiquity  and  their  origin 
from  those  whom  the  Greeks  called  Scythians,  it  appears 
to  me  just,  that  no  one  should,  any  longer,  doubt  the 
genealogy  of  this  people."* 

From  these  authorities,  as  well  as  many  others,  it  would 
appear,  that  Tartary  and  Siberia  were  originally  colonized 
or  peopled  by  the  Scythians,  the  posterity  of  Magog ;  and 
that  Kamschatska  and  the  north  of  Siberia  being  the 
nearest  point  ©f  Asiato  America,  whence  migrations  could 
easily  take  place.  The  Indians  of  North  America  should 
also  claim  the  Scythians  as  their  progenitors,  and,  conse 
quently,  Magog  as  the  founder  of  their  nation. 


Kamschatska  appellantur,  vetustissimis  temporibus  Scythas  incoluisse 
cognoscant.  Sic  enim  intelligere  Possimus,  quod  nomen  Magog  in 
multis,  civitatibus  et  Castellis  adhuc  servatur. 

*  Liv.  v.  Comme  j'ai  eu  deja  soin  de  marquer  les  modes  differentes, 
dans  lesquelles  ces  nations  du  Nord  se  resemblent,  chacun  pourra 
tirer  ses  conclusions  en  consequence. 

Si  Fon  fait  attention  a  la  fameuse  circonstance,  qu'on  trouvera 
dans  la  Tartarie.,  et  dans  la  Siberie,  des  noms  de  montagnes,  de  villes, 
et  de  rivieres  qui  indiquentleur  antiquite,  et  leur  origin e  des  Scythes, 
il  me  seinble  qu'il  soit  juste  de  ne  plus  douter  la  genealogie  de  ce 
pe  iple. 


XXXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

THE  POSTERITY  OF  SHEM, 
SUPPOSED  TO  BE  THE  EARLIEST  INHABITANTS  OF  AMERICA. 

Shem,  the  second  son  of  Noah,  had  five  sons  who  inhab 
ited  the  land  that  began  at  the  Euphrates  and  reached  to 
the  Indian  Ocean ;  and  their  names  were  Elam,  Asshur, 
Arphaxad,  Lud  and  Aram. 

Salah,  the  son  of  Arphaxad,  was  the  father  of  Eber, 
whose  elder  son  was  called  Joktan.  This  Joktan  was  the 
father  of  thirteen  sons,  who  were  heads  of  as  many  nations. 
With  regard  to  the  countries  which  they  possessed,  very 
little  can  be  said  with  any  certainty ;  but  most  of  the  an 
cients  were  of  opinion,  that  the  East  Indies,  China,  and 
Japan,  must  have  been  peopled  by  the  descendants  of 
Shem,  through  Joktan,  his  great  great  grandson. 

As  the  North  and  South  American  Indians  are  reason 
ably  believed  to  be  of  different  origin,  inasmuch  as  the 
natives  of  the  South  were  found  to  be  not  only  more 
civilized  than  the  rude  tribes  of  the  North,  when  first  dis 
covered  by  Europeans,  but  their  personal  appearance,  reli 
gion  and  language,  exhibited  so  striking  a  diversity,  which 
should  at  once,  authorise  this  belief,  many  have  supposed 
that  Jucatan,  or  Yucatan,  a  province  of  Mexico,  derives 
its  name  from  Jokt  in.  Among  these  Arius  Montanus  is 
the  foremost,  and  he  thinks  that  Joktan  himself  either  pas 
sed  into  America,  or  that  this  continent  was  peopled  by 
his  posterity. 

As  far  as  the  origin  and  identity  of  nations  can  be 
traced  by  a  similarity  of  names,  Arius  Montanus  and  his 
followers  seem  to  offer  a  plausible  conjecture,  as  Yucatan, 
Juckatan,  or  JuckLan,  in  its  contracted  state,  bears  a  very 
great  resemblance  to  Joktan.  We  leave,  however,  this 
opinion  as  we  fourd  it,  a  mere  conjecture ;  still,  while  we 
are  under  the  necessity  of  giving  to  the  Mexican,  and  the 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXV 

inhabitants  of  the  other  southern  regions,  a  different  origin 
from  that  of  the  present  RED  MEN  of  the  North,  it  is  quite 
reasonable  to  suppose,  that  the  earliest  colonies  that  set 
tled  in  America  were  of  the  line  of  Shem,  and  came,  no 
doubt,  from  the  eastern  or  north-eastern  parts  of  Asia, 
such  as  China  or  Corea  ;  and  from  the  latter  the  journey 
could  easily  be  performed,  as  we  shall  afterwards  see.  The 
descendants  of  Shem  were  certainly  the  first  of  the  poster 
ity  of  Noah  that  arrived  at  a  state  of  civilization,  and 
consequently  might  be  looked  upon  as  the  authors  of  the 
innumerable  monuments  of  antiquity  which  are  scattered 
over  the  vast  continent ;  for  the  present  Indians  of  North 
America  were  utterly  unacquainted  with  the  art  of  con 
structing  them,  as  well  as  with  their  history,  even  by 
tradition. 

Of  Ham,  the  third  son  of  Noah,  we  have  nothing  to 
say  as  his  posterity  are  not  considered  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  the  early  peopling  of  America,  except  inas 
much  as  refers  to  the  claims  of  the  Cartha'genians,  by 
passing  through  the  straits  of  Gibraltar,  at  a  very  remote 
period,  when,  according  to  some  historians,  they  discover 
ed  this  continent ;  but  this  we  shall  examine  in  its  proper 
place ;  suffice  it  to  say  now,  that  Ham  was  the  founder  ol 
almost  all  African  nations,  and  of  the  Philistines  and 
Canaanites  in  Asia. 


DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA. 


THAT  the  ancients  had  an  imperfect  notion  of  this 
quarter  of  the  globe,  should  not,  perhaps,  be  reasonably 
doubted,  when  we  consider  the  very  early  period  at  which 
the  sciences  of  geometry,  cosmography,  astronomy,  and 
drawing,  were  studied  in  the  schools  of  Greece  and  Kome, 
as  well  as  in  Egypt,  Carthage,  and  Babylon.  It  is,  how 
ever,  generally  agreed,  that  the  Greeks,  who  first  among 
the  Europeans  cultivated  the  science  of  geography,  derived 
their  knowledge  of  it  from  the  Egyptians  or  Babylonians, 
But  which  of  those  two  nations  had  *he  honour  of  the  in 
vention,  it  is  impossible  to  determine. 

In  those  days,  the  spherical  figure  of  the  earth  might 
be  known,  and  its  magnitude  also  ascertained  with  some 
accuracy.  With  this  knowledge,  geographers  would,  no 
doubt,  naturally  suppose,  that  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa, 
as  far  as  they  were  then  known,  could  form  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  terraqueous  globe.  It  was  also  suitable  to 
the  ideas  of  man,  concerning  the  wisdom  and  beneficence 
of  the  author  of  nature,  to  believe  that  the  vast  space  still 
unexplored  was  not  covered  entirely  by  an  unprofitable 
ocean,  but  occupied  by  countries  fit  for  the  habitation  of 
man.  It  might  appear  to  them,  likewise,  equally  probable, 
that  the  continents  on  one  side  of  the  globe  were  balanced 
by  a  proportional  quantity  of  land  in  the  other  hemisphere. 
From  these  conclusions,  arising  solely  from  theoretical 
principles,  the  existence  of  the  Western  Continent  might 


40  DISCOVERY    OF 

have  been  concieved  by  the  ancients.  But  whether  they 
had  the  sagacity  to  form  such  conjectures,  we  are  not 
authorized  to  say. 

Of  the  two  hemispheres,  which  comprise  the  whole  ter 
raqueous  globe,  the  ancients  had  certainly  no  practical 
knowledge  of  more  than  what  we  now  denominate  the 
Eastern,  containing  the  continents  of  Europe,  Asia  and 
Africa.  They  supposed  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  consisting 
of  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar  on  one  side,  and  Mount  Calpe  on 
the  other,  to  be  the  western  boundaries  of  the  earth ;  and 
on  the  east  they  carried  their  ideas  no  farther  than  the 
Ganges.  In  the  south,  they  had  some  confused  notions  of 
Africa,  extending  into  the  torrid  zone ;  but  they  scarcely 
believed  it  possible  that  men  could  exist  in  those  sultry 
climes.  With  regard  to  the  north,  their  notions  were 
sometimes  ridiculously  strange  concerning  the  inhabitants 
of  the  terra  incognita,  (the  unknown  country)  of  Europe 
and  Asia. 

Although  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  ancients 
ever  ventured  to  explore  the  continent  of  America  by  prac 
tical  observation,  whatever  might  have  been  their  ideas 
respecting  the  existence  of  such  a  country ;  yet,  there  are 
some  historians  who  would  seem  to  favour  t£«  opinion, 
that  the  Carthagenians,  the  Welsh,  and  the  Noi  ^escians 
discovered  this  country  at  a  very  early  period,  and  prior, 
of  course,  to  the  famous  voyage  of  Columbus. 

Those  who  contend  for  the  Carthagenians  have  no  other 
support  than  a  few  obscure  passages  from  the  ancients, 
who  would  really  seem  to  be  but  little  acquainted,  with 
this  island,  which  they  describe  and  place  at  a  short  dis 
tance  beyond  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  or  the  straits  of 
Gibraltar.  We  shall  first  notice  Diodorus  Siculus,  a  Sici 
lian  historian  and  a  Stoic  philosopher,  in  the  time  of 
Julius  Caesar. 

"  Phoanices  vetustissimis  temporibus  extra  columnas 
Herculis  navigantes  ingentibus  ventorum  procellis  ad 
longinquos  Oceani  tractus  ftiisse  abreptos,  ac  multis  diebus 
vi  tempestatis  jactatos,  tandem  ad  ingentem .  insulam  in 


AMERICA.  41 

Oceano  Atlantico,  eomplurium  dierum  navfgatione  a 
Lybia  in  occasum  reraotam  venisse ;  cujus  solum  fructife- 
rum,  amnes  navigabiles,  sumptuosa  aedificia  fuerint.  Inde 
Carthaginienses  et  Tyrrhenes  harum  terrarum  notitiam 
accepisse.  Postea  Carthaginienses,  cum  saepe  a  Tyriis  et 
Mauritanis  bello  premerentur,  Gadibus  praeter  navigatis, 
et  Atlantico  provectos  oceano,  tandem  ad  novas  has  regio- 
nes  appulisse,  et  coloniam  duxisse ;  eamque  rem  diu  taci 
turn  servasse,  ut  si  rursum  sedibus  ejicerentur,  haberent 
locum  in  quern  se  cum  suis  reciperent.  Repertam  a  Car- 
thaginiensibus  fortuito  insulam ;  et  in  earn  injussu  Ma- 
gistratus  commigrasse  plurimos :  quod  disfluente  paulatim 
pop.ulo  coeperit  postea  Capitale  esse." 

Here  we  are  told  by  Diodorus,  that  the  Phoenicians  were, 
at  a  very  early  period,  driven  by  the  violence  of  the  winds 
far  beyond  the  pillars  of  Hercules  or  the  straits  of  Gibral 
tar,  into  the  ocean :  that  they  discovered  to  the  west  of 
Lybia  or  Africa,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  days'  sailing 
from  that  continent,  a  large  and  fertile  island  and  finely 
watered  with  navigable  rivers;  that  this  discovery  was 
soon  made  known  to  the  Carthagenians,  a  Phoenician 
colony  in  Africa,  and  to  the  Tyrrhenians  or  Tuscans  in 
Italy :  that  the  Carthagenians  sometime  after  undertook, 
on  account  of  hostile  invasions  made  by  the  Moors  and  Ty- 
rians,  a  voyage  in  which  they  passed  the  straits  of  Gibral 
tar  and  advanced  beyond  Cadiz  without  the  pillars  01 
Hercules,  till  they  arrived  in  those  new  regions,  where 
they  made  a  settlement ;  but  the  policy  of  Carthage  dis 
lodged  the  colony,  and  laid  a  strict  prohibition  on  all  the 
subjects  of  the  State  not  to  attempt  any  future  establish 
ment. 

It  is  truly  suprising  that  historians  of  considerable  re 
nown  should  have  mistaken  the  American  continent  for 
the  fertile  and  beautiful  island  which  is  mentioned  in  this 
passage  from  Diodorus.  This  geographical  sketch  of  the 
new  country  which  the  Phoenicians  discovered,  and  the 
Carthagenians  afterwards  colonized,  corresponds  in  every 
respect  with  the  situation  and  fertilitv  of  Ireland,  being 
4* 


42  DISCOVERY    OF 

distant  only  a  few  days'  sailing  from  the  straits, of  Gibral 
tar,  while  few  countries  can  surpass  it  in  beauty.  Ireland 
is  also  supplied  with  navigable  rivers.  In  the  researches 
of  eminent  antiquarians,  we  are  taught  to  believe  beyond 
the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  that  the  Phoenicians  were  about 
the  first  of  the  human  race  that  visited  Ireland,  where  they 
established  a  colony.  The  chronicles  of  Ireland  bear  testi 
mony  to  this  fact  j  and  when  we  collate  the  Irish  language 
with  the  Punic  or  Phoenician,  we  find  so  striking  an 
affinity,  that  the  Irish  or  Celtic  language  may  be  said  to 
have  been,  in  a  great  degree,  the  language  of  Hannibal, 
Hamilcar,  and  Asdrubal.  This  opinion  will  at  once  be  con 
firmed  by  having  recourse  to  Plautus,  where  we  see  a  Car- 
thagenian  speaking  the  Punic,  which  is  no  other  than  almosc 
the  pure  Celtic  or  Irish  language.  In  a  forthcoming  work, 
however,  to  be  entitled  "  The  Origin  of  the  Primitive  In 
habitants  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,"  we  shall  prove 
this  point  so  clearly,  that  to  doubt  it  would  be  denying  the 
most  glaring  truth. 

"The  Phoenicians,"  says  Diodorus,  in  the  first  part  of 
the  passage  which  we  have  transcribed,  "  after  a  few  days' 
sailing  beyond  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  discovered  a  large 
and  fertile  island  in  the  ocean;  and  its  beauty  induced  the 
discoverers  to  settle  there."  It  is  certain  that  the  inven 
tion  of  the  mariner's  compass  cannot  be  dated  from  a 
much  earlier  period  than  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth 
century ;  and  that  towards  the  close  of  the  same  century, 
the  navigation  of  Europe  was  not  extended  beyord  the 
limits  of  the  Mediterranean  It  is  not  reasonable,  there 
fore,  to  think  that  the  Carthagenians  should  venture  from 
the  sight  of  land  and  stretch  out  into  unfreqented  and  un 
known  seas,  without  the  help  of  this  sure  guide,  however 
prompted  they  might  have  been  by  the  most  ardent  spirit 
of  discovery,  and  encouraged  by  the  patronage  of  princes. 
Such  a  bold  enterprise  is  not  at  all  congenial  to  the  cau 
tious  and  timorous  minds  of  the  ancient  navigators.  We 
$ee  also  in  the  same  passage,  that  they  performed  their 
voyage  in  a  few  days,  so  that  the  land  which  they  dis- 


AMERICA. 


43 


covered  could  not  have  been  America,  seeing  that  Colum 
bus,  the  most  skilful  navigator  of  the  age  in  which  he 
lived,  consumed  seventy-one  days  in  accomplishing  his 
noble  undertaking.  The  second  part  is  no  less  inconsist 
ent,  when  we  learn  that  the  policy  of  Carthage  dislodged, 
the  colony,  and  laid  a  strict  prohibition  on  all  the  subjects 
of  the  State  not  to  attempt  any  future  establishment.  This 
is  certainly^  a  line  of  policy,  which  could  not  have  been 
pursued  by  any  ambitious  state,  that  wished  to  extend  its 
power  and  enlarge  its  territories,  by  the  discovery  of  so 
valuable  an  island  as  is  described  in  Diodorus,  and  at  so 
short  a  distance  from  the  pillars  of  Hercules.  It  has  never 
been  satisfactorily  proved,  that  there  exists  in  America  any 
tribe,  whose  language,  manners,  and  customs,  bears  any 
resemblance  to  those  of  the  Carthagenians.  Were  we 
even  to  grant,  that  the  Carthagenians  visited  America 
prior  to  the  discovery  of  Columbus,  it  would  certainly  ap 
pear  very  extraordinary,  that  the  existence  of  this  portion 
of  the  globe,  should  not  have  been  revealed  by  the  Car- 
thageniais  to  some  of  their  neighbouring  nations,  especial 
ly  to  the  Spaniards ;  for  in  Spain  the  Carthagenians  found 
ed  several  cities.  It  is  no  less  surprising  that  the  Car 
thagenians  themselves  had  never  attempted,  at  a  future 
period,  to  make  a  second  settlement  in  America.  The 
opinion,  therefore,  that  the  western  continent  was  dis 
covered  by  the  Carthagenians,  seems  to  have  no  other 
support,  except  the  passage  which  we  have  quoted  from 
Diodorus  and  a  few  others. 

Next  comes  Plato,  who,  according  to  Mr.  Chamber's 
abridged  account  of  this  island,  from  Plato's  Timaeus, 
gives  us  the  following  description :  u  The  Atalantis  was  a 
large  island,  in  the  Western  ocean,  opposite  to  the  west  of 
Cadiz.  Out  of  this  island  there  was  an  easy  passage  into 
some  others,  which  lay  near  a  continent,  exceeding  in 
extent  all  Europe.  Neptune  settled  in  this  island,  from 
whose  son,  Atlas,  its  name  was  derived,  and  he  divided  it 
among  his  ten  sons  To  the  youngest  fell  the  extremity 
of  the  island,  called  Gadir,  which,  in  the  language  of  the 


44  DISCOVERY   OF 

country,  signifies  fertile,  or  abundant  in  sheep.  The  de 
scendants  of  Neptune  reigned  here  from  father  to  son,  for 
a  great  number  of  generations,  in  the  order  of  primogeni 
ture,  during  the  space  of  nine  thousand  years.  They  also 
possessed  several  other  islands ;  and  passing  into  Europe 
and  Africa,  subdued  all  Lybia  as  far  as  Egypt,  and  all 
Europe  to  Asia  Minor.  At  length  the  island  sunk  under 
water,  and  for  a  long  time  afterwards,  the  sea  thereabouts 
was  full  of  rocks  and  shelves." 

This  description  of  Plato,  that  of  Diodorus,  and  a  pas- 
•sage  in  Seneca's  Medcea.,  with  some  others,  scarcely  worthy 
of  notice,  have  given  rise  to  many  arguments  among  mod 
ern  writers.  Some  have  maintained  that  this  continent, 
mentioned  above  as  lying  behind  the  island  Atalantis, 
must  have  been  another  island  extending  from  the  Azores 
to  the  Canaries ;  but  that,  being  swallowed  up  by  an 
earthquake,  as  Plato  asserts,  those  small  islands  are  the 
remains  of  it.  From  supposition  only,  it  has  been  assert 
ed  that  America  was  known  to  the  ancients,  that  is,  to 
the  Phoenicians  and  Carthagenians,  who,  after  'he  exter 
mination  of  their  power  and  the  destruction  of  all  their 
records,  lost  all  recollection  of  it.  Be  this,  however,  as  it 
may,  this  account  of  Plato  appears  to  us  as  somewhat  fab-, 
bulous,  without  believing,  for  a  moment,  that  America  was 
the  continent  lying  behind  that  island. 

Fables  of  much  the  same  complexion  also  possessed  the 
minds  of  the  ancients,  as  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  of 
Europe  and  Asia,  and  many  incredible  tales  were  current 
among  them  relative  to  the  Scythians ;  and  Strabo, 
though  in  most  respects  a  good  geographer,  blamed 
Pythias  Massilirensis,  who  had  surveyed  the  utmost  parts 
of  Europe,  for  endeavouring  to  turn  the  popular  opinion ; 
yet  subsequent  experience  has  shown,  that,  for  the  most 
part,  Pythias  was  right. 

The  Phoenicians,  and  after  them  the  Carthagenians,  traded 
to  Britain  for  tin ;  and  we  have  also,  as  already  observed, 
every  reason  to  believe  that  Ireland  was  likewise  known 
to  them.  After  the  destruction,  however,  of  the  Cartha 


AMERICA.  45 

gemans,  the  knowledge  of  Britain  was  lost  among  the  an 
cients,  till  Julius  Caesar  saw  it  from  the  coasts  of  Gaul,  and 
added  it  to  the  conquests  of  Rome.  It  appears,  therefore, 
that  scarcely  one-half  of  the  world  was  known  to  the 
ancients,  and  even  of  that,  with  the  exception  of  Egypt, 
the  north  coast  of  Africa,  Greece,  and  Italy,  and  the 
countries  immediately  connected  with  them,  they  had  a 
very  imperfect  idea. 

To  confirm  us  in  our  opinion,  we  shall  here  attend  to 
Vesputius,  a  learned  Latin  author,  who  made  able  research 
es,  de  origine  gentium.  His  manuscripts,  which  have 
not  as  yet  been  published,  are  still  preserved  in  the  Vati 
can  library  at  Rome. 

"  Extra  columnas  Herculis  quam  vastissimus  est  oceanus, 
in  quo  site  sunt  insulse  duae  quae  Albion,  et  lerna  apellan- 
tur.  Ex  Gallia  saepenumero  colonos  acceperunt,  quamo- 
brem  lingua  Gallica  aut  Celtic  incolae  loqui  dicuntur 
Illuc  neque  dubitari  potest,  quin  Cathaginienses  coloniam 
olim  miserint,  lingua  enim  Punica  quam  simillima  est 
eorum  sermoni."  This  learned  antiquary  contends  that 
Albion  and  Erin,  which  are  situated  according  to  him,  in 
a  vast  ocean,  without  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  received  col 
onies  not  only  from  Gaul,  as  their  inhabitants  speak  the 
language  of  the  Gauls,  but  that  the  Phoenicians  also  con 
tributed  at  some  remote  period  to  the  colonization  of  these 
two  islands,  on  account  of  the  affinity  between  the  Celtic 
and  the  Phoenician  languages. 

Vesputius  is  supported  by  Monsieur  Boullet,  a  French 
etymologist,  in  his  Mem.  sur  la  Langue  Celtique : — "  La 
langue  Celtique  etant  de  la  plus  haute  antiquite  (says 
Boullet)  n'etant  meme,  ainsi  qu'on  la  prouve,  qu'un  dia- 
lecte  de  la  primitive,  elle  a  du  etre  la  mere  de  celles  qui  se 
sont  formees  par  la  succession  des  temps  dans  les  pays  qu'ont 
occupes  les  Celtes,  ou  Celto-Scythes.  Le  Latin,  le  Go- 
thique,  1' Anglo-Saxon,  le  Theuton,  Flrlandois,  le  Prunique, 
le  Suedois,  le  Danois,  1'Allemand,  1'Anglois,  1'Italien, 
1'Espagnol,  le  Francois,  ayent  ete  formes  immediatement, 
ou  immediatement,  en  tout,  ou  en  partie,  du  Celtique,  on 


46  DISCOVERY   OF 

doit  regarder  cet  ouvrage  comme  un  diction aire  etimolo 
gique  de  ces  langues  dans  lequel  on  trouvera  1'origine  des 
termes  qui  les  composent.  Il-y-a  encore  tant  de  similitude 
entre  la  langue  Carthaginoise,  qu'on  doit  regarder  les 
Irlandois  et  les  Carthaginois  comme  deux  nations  de  la 
meme  origine." 

The  learned  Boullet  says,  that  the  Celtic  language  is  so 
%  ancient,  that  it  is,  as  has  been  often  proved,  no  less  than  a 
dialect  of  that  language  which  was  first  spoken  in  paradise ; 
and  that  it  must  be  the  mother  of  all  those  languages  which 
had  been  formed  in  those  countries  which  were  formerly 
occupied  by  the  Celts  or  Celto-Scythians.  Therefore,  he 
concludes,  that  the  Latin,  the  Gothic,  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
the  Teutonic,  the  Icelandic,  the  Prunic,  the  Swedish,  the 
Danish,  the  German,  the  English,  the  Italian,  the  Spanish, 
and  French  languages  must  have  been  derived,  directly  or 
indirectly,  from  the  Celtic,  which  is  no  other  than  an 
etymological  dictionary  of  the  terms  of  which  those  several 
languages  are  composed.  There  is  also,  he  continues, 
such-  a  similarity  between  the  Celtic  and  the  Carthagenian 
language,  that  the  Irish  and  Carthagenians  are  to  be  consid 
ered  as  two  nations  of  the  same  origin.  We  could  offer 
the  testimony  of  several  other  learned  men  who  are  not 
only  convinced  that  the  Carthagenians  visited  and  coloni 
zed  Ireland  prior  to  the  arrival  of  any  other  colony,  but 
are  also  of  opinion  that  Diodorus  Siculus  alludes  to  Ireland, 
while  he  describes  that  fertile  island  which  the  Carthage 
nians  discovered  beyond  the  pillars  of  Hercules.  As  we 
do  not,  however,  intend,  on  the  present  occasion,  to  trace 
the  origin  of  the  Irish  nation,  but  merely  to  shew  from  the 
national  connexion,  which  evidently  exists  between  the 
Irish  and  Carthagenians,  that  Ireland  must,  and  undoubted 
ly,  be  that  country  which  the  Carthagenians,  according  to 
Diodorus,  discovered  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  most 
reasonable  mode,  therefore,  of  accounting  for  this  ancient 
consanguinity,  is  to  conclude  that,  at  some  remote  period, 
the  Carthagenians,  after  a  few  days'  sailing  from  Cadiz,  a 
+own  which  was  built  by  the  Phrenicians  in  Andalusia  a 


AMERICA.  47 

province  in  the  south   of  Spain,  arrived  fortuitously  in  Ire 
land,  where   they  made  settlements. 

The  Welsh  also  fondly  imagine,  that  their  country  con 
tributed,  in  1170,  to  people  the  new  world,  by  the  ad 
ventures  of  Madoc,  son  of'  Owen  Guyneyd,  who  they  say, 
on  the  death  of  his  father,  sailed  there,  and  colonized  a 
part  of  the  country.  All  that  is  advanced  in  proof  of  this 
discovery,  is  a  quotation  from  one  of  the  British  poets,  who 
proves  no  more,  than  that  he  had  distinguished  himself 
both  by  sea  and  land.  This  compliment  was  immediately 
perverted  by  the  Welsh  bards.  They  pretend  that  he 
made  two  voyages ;  that  sailing  west,  he  left  Ireland  so 
far  to  the  north,  that  he  came  to  a  land  unknown,  where 
he  saw  many  strange  things  ;  that  on  returning  home,  and 
making  report  of  the  fruitfulness  of  the  newly  discovered 
country,  he  prevailed  on  numbers  of  the  Welsh  of  each 
sex  to  accompany  him  on  a  second  voyage,  from  which  he 
never  returned.  Without  commenting  on  these  assertions, 
for  they  do  not  wear  the  visage  of  truth,  we  need  only  en 
quire  who  the  Welsh  bards  were.  It  is  clearly  stated  by 
Strabo  and  Ammjan  what  they  were,  anciently,  in  their 
day;  but  Lucanhas  more  briefly,  and  distinctly  enough  for 
the  present  purpose,  informed  us  in  the  following  verses : 

"  Nos  quosque,  qui  fortes  animas,  belloque  peremptas, 
Lau'dibus  in  longum  vates  demittis  acvum, 
Plurima  securi  fudistus  carmii  bardi." 

•e  The  brave  who  fell  in  war,  ye  poets,  praise, 
In  strains  that  shall  descend  to  distant  times, 
And  spread  their  fame,  ye  bards,  in  many  songs." 

The  bards,  therefore,  were  retained  by  the  chiefs  of 
ancient  families  as  minstrels,  wTho,  by  their  songs,  perpet 
uated  to  posterity  the  memory  of  their  patrons.  Next 
come  the  senachies,  another  description  of  minstrels,  who 
recited,  from  memory,  the  genealogies  of  their  chiefs  and 
other  men  of  property.  But  these,  too,  were  generally 
destitute  of  learning,  and,  besides,  no  reliance  could  be 
placed  on  men  whose  expectations  and  subsistence  depend- 


48  DISCOVERY   OF 

ed  on  adulation.  If  to  this  be  added,  as  it  often  must,  thai 
national  partiality  which  usually  perverted  their  judgment, 
who  would  venture  to  affirm  upon  their  testimony  either 
what  is  true  or. what  is  false,  or  seek  for  certainty  amoug 
such  uncertain  authorities,  The  Welsh,  then,  "have  no 
other  testimony  except  the  fabulous  relations  of  bards  and 
senachies ;  and  as  such  were  ever  liable  to  delusion  and 
error,  their  claim  must  ever  be  pronounced  as  entirely 
destitute  of  support.  Besides  the  Welsh  were  never 
known  as  a  people  who  were  skilful  in  naval  affairs,  and 
even  the  age  in  which  Madoc  lived  was  particularly  igno 
rant  in  navigation,  so  that  the  most  which  they  attempted, 
could  not  have  been  more  than  a  mere  coasting  voyage. 

The  Norwegians  claim  their  share  of  the  glory,  on 
grounds  rather  better  than  the  Welsh.  By  their  settle 
ments  in  Iceland  and  Greeenland,  they  had  arrived  within 
so  small  a  distance  of  the  new  world,  that  there  is  at  least  a 
possibility  of  its  having  been  touched  at  by  a  people  so 
versed  in  maritime  affairs,  and  so  adventurous  as  the 
ancient  Normans  were.  The  proofs  are  much  more  nu 
merous  than  those  produced  by  British  ^historians,  for  the 
discovery  is  mentioned  in  several  Icelandic  manuscripts. 

The  period  was  about  the  year  1002,  when,  according 
to  their  own  records,  it  was  visited  by  one  Biron ;  and 
the  discovery  pursued  to  greater  effect  by  Leif,  the  son  of 
Eric,  the  discoverer  of  Greenland.  It  does  not  appear 
that  they  reached  farther  than  Labrador ;  on  which  coast 
they  met  with  the  Esquimaux,  on  whom  they  bestowed  the 
name  of  IScroelings,  or  dwarfish  people,  from  their  small 
stature.  They  were  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  and 
had  leathern  canoes,  such  as  they  have  at  present.  All 
this  is  probable,  although  the  following  tale  of  the  German, 
called  Tyrker,  one  of  the  crew,  does  not  tend  to  prove  the 
discovery.  He  was  one  day  missing ;  but  soon  returned, 
leaping  and  singing  with  all  the  extravagant  marks  of  joy 
a  bon  vivant  could  shew,  on  discovering  the  inebriating 
fruit  of  his  own  country,  the  grape ;  Torfseus  even  says, 
that  he  returned  in  a  state  of  intoxication.  To  convince 


AMERICA.  49 

his  commander,  he  brought  several  bunches  of  grapes, 
who  from  that  circumstance  named  that  country  Vinland. 
It  is  not  to  be  denied,  that  North  America  produces  the 
true  vine ;  but  it  is  found  in  far  lower  latitudes  than  our 
adventurers*  could  reach  in  the  time  employed  in  their  voy 
ages,  which  was  comprehended  in  a  very  small  space. 
However,  be  this  as  it  may,  there  appears  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  discovery;  but  as  the  land»was  never  colonized, 
nor  any  advantages  made  of  it  by  the  Norwegians,  it  may 
fairly  be  conjectured,  that  they  reached  no  farther  than  the 
coast  of  Labrador.  In  short,  it  is  from  a  much  later  pe 
riod  that  we  must  date  the  real  discovery  of  America 

The  mariners  of  the  seventeenth  century  acquired  great 
applause  by  sailing  along  the  coast  of  Africa  and  dis 
covering  some  of  the  neighbouring  islands ;  and  although 
the  Portuguese  were  decidedly  the  most  skilful  navigators 
of  the  age,  still,  with  all  their  industry  and  perseverance, 
they  advanced  southward  no  farther  than  the  equator. 

The  rich  commodities  of  the  East  had  for  several  ages 
been  brought  into  Europe  by  the  way  of  the  Red  Sea  and 
the  Mediterranean ;  and  it  had  now  become  the  object 
of  the  Portuguese  to  find  a  passage  to  India  by  sailing 
round  the  southern  extremity  of  Africa,  and  then  taking 
an  eastern  course.  This  great  object  engaged  the  general 
attention  of  mankind,  and  drew  into  the  Portuguese  service 
adventurers  from  every  maritime  nation  in  Europe.  Every 
year  added  to  their  experience  in  navigation  and  seemed 
to  promise  a  reward  to  their  industry.  The  prospect, 
however,  of  arriving  at  the  Indies  was  extremely  distant 
Fifty  years'  perseverance  in  the  same  track  had  brought 
them  only  to  the  equator ;  and  it  was  probable  that  as 
many  more  would  elapse  before  they  could  accomplish 
their  purpose,  had  not  Columbus,  by  an  uncommon  exer 
tion  of  genius,  formed  a  design  no  less  astonishing  to  the 
age  in  which  he  lived,  than  beneficial  to  posterity. 

Among  the  foreigners  whom  the  fame  of  the  discoveries 
made  by  the  Portuguese  had  allured  into  their  service  was 
5 


50  DISCOVERY   OF 

Christopher  Columbus  or  Colon,  a  subject  of  the  republic 
of  Genoa. 

It  has  been  generally  asserted  by  those  who  have  given 
us  a  biographical  sketch  of  Columbus,  that  the  place  of  his 
birth  is  not  known  with  certainty ;  but  Father  Lerafini,  a 
learned  Italian  historian,  speaks  as  follows  of  the  famous 
navigator. 

"  Christofero  Colombo  era  nato  nella  citta  di  Genoa,  Pan- 
no  millequattro  cento  e  quaranta  due.  II  suo  padre,  un 
marinaro  Portuguese,  era  nominato,  di  commun  consenso, 
per  condottiere  principale  in  un  viaggio  di  scoperta  sulla 
costa  Africana.  Christofero,  il  secondo  figlio,  volendo  se- 
guire  la  medesima  occupazione,  commincio  a  studiare  le 
lingue,  la  navigazione,  e  le  a\tre  scienze  che  erano  neces- 
sarie  per  scoprire  nuovi  paesi." 

According  to  Lerafini,  who  was  also  a  Genoese  by  birth, 
Christopher  Columbus  was  born  in  Genoa,  in  the  year  one 
thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-two.  His  father,  he  says, 
a  native  of  Portugal,  was  so  skilful  a  mariner,  that  by  the 
common  consent  of  his  followers  he  was  appointed  to  the 
chief  command  of  a  small  Genoese  squadron,  which  had 
been  fitted  out  for  a  voyage  of  discovery  on  the  coast  of 
Africa.  Christopher,  the  second  son,  wishing  to  pursue 
the  same  course  of  life,  to  which  his  father  had  been  train 
ed,  applied  himself  with  the  greatest  industry  and  perse 
verance  to  the  study  of  the  Latin  tongue,  the  only  lan 
guage  in  which  science  was  taught  at  that  time:  he  was 
also  instructed  in  all  those  branches,  which  are  connected 
with  navigation,  such  as  Geometry,  Cosmography,  As 
tronomy,  and  the  art  of  Drawing.  Thus  qualified,  he 
went  to  sea  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  began  his  career 
on  that  element,  which  conducted  him  to  so  much  glory, 
and  proved  so  interesting  to  mankind  in  general  and  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Europe  in  particular. 

As  his  early  voyages  were  confined  to  those  ports  in  the 
Mediterranean,  which  were  frequented  by  his  countrymen, 
the  Genoese,  his  active  mind  could  not  be  satisfied,  until 
he  had  made  an  excursion  to  the  nothern  seas  and  visited 


AMERICA. 


51 


the  coasts  of  Iceland,  to  which  the  English  and  other  na 
tions  had  begun  to  resort  on  account  of  its  fisheries.  The 
fame  which  was  now  acquired  in  navigation,  excited 
such  emulation  among  the  more  enterprizing  mariners, 
that  Columbus  ventured  to  proceed  several  degrees  within 
the  polar  circle  and  advanced  beyond  that  island,  which  is 
called  the  Thule  of  the  ancients.  Having  satisfied  his 
curiosity  by  this  voyage,  which  tended  more  to  enlarge 
his  knowledge  of  naval  affairs,  than  to  improve  his  fortune, 
he  entered  into  the  service  of  a  famous  sea  captain  of  his 
own  name  and  family.  This  man  who  commanded  a 
small  squadron,  with  which  he  cruised  sometimes  against 
the  Mahometans,  sometimes  againt  the  Venetians,  the 
rivals  of  his  country  in  trade.  With  him  Columbus  con 
tinued  several  years,  no  less  distinguished  for  his  courage, 
than  for  his  experience  as  a  sailor.  At  length,  in  an  ob 
stinate  engagement  off  the  coast  of  Portugal,  with  some 
Venetian  caravals,  returning  richly  laden  from  the  Low 
Countries,  the  vessel  on  board  wThich  he  served  took  fire, 
together  with  one  of  the  enemy's  ships  to  which  it  was 
fast  grappled.  In  this  dreadful  extremity  his  intrepidity 
and  presence  of  mind  did  not  forsake  him.  He  threw 
himself  into  the  sea,  laid  hold  of  a  floating  oar,  and  by 
support  of  it,  and  his  own  dexterity  in  swimming,  he  reach 
ed  the  shore,  though  above  two  leagues  distant,  and  saved 
a  life  reserved  for  great  undertakings. 

Columbus  immediately  rep  aired  to  the  court  of  Portugal, 
where  they  conceived  such  a  favourable  opinion  of  his 
merit,  as  well  as  his  talents,  that  they  warmly  solicited 
him  to  remain  in  that  kingdom.  Columbus  listened  with 
a  favourable  ear  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  and,  having 
gained  the  esteem  of  a  Portuguese  lady,  whom  he  married, 
he  fixed  his  residence  in  Lisbon.  As  his  father-in-law, 
Bartholomew  Perestrello,  was  one  of  the  captains  who 
were  employed  by  Prince  Henry,  when  the  islands  of 
Porto  Santo  and  Maderia  were  discovered  and  planted, 
Columbus  got  possession  of  the  journals  and  charts  of 
Perestrello,  who  was  an  experienced  navigator.  The 


52 


nrscovERY  OF 


more  he  contemplated  the  maps  and  read  the  description 
of  the  new  countries  which  Perestrello  had  discovered,  the 
more  impatient  he  became  to  visit  them.  In  order,  there 
fore,  to  indulge  his  favourite  passion,  he  made  a  voyage  to 
Madeira,  and  continued  during  several  years  to  trade  with 
that  island,  with  the  Canaries,  the  Azores,  the  settlements 
in  Guinea,  and  all  the  other  places  which  the  Portuguese 
had  discovered  on  the  continent  of  Africa. 

During  such  a  variety  of  voyages  to  almost  every  part 
of  the  globe  with  which,  at  that  time,  any  intercourse  was 
carried  on  by  sea,  Columbus  was  now  become  one  of  the 
most  skilful  navigators  in  Europe.  But  not  satisfied  with 
that  praise,  his  ambition  aimed  at  something  more.  The 
successful  progress  of  the  Portuguese  navigators  had  awa 
kened  a  spirit  of  curiosity  and  emulation,  which  set  every 
man  of  science  upon  examining  all  the  circumstances  that 
led  to  the  discoveries  which  they  had  made,  or  that 
afforded  a  prospect  of  succeeding  in  any  new  and  bolder 
undertaking.  The  mind  of  Columbus,  naturally  inquisitive, 
capable  of  deep  reflection,  and  turned  to  speculations  of 
this  kind,  was  so 'often  employed  in  revolving  the  princi 
ples  on  which  the  Portuguese  had  founded  their  schemes  of 
discovery,  and  the  mode  in  which  they  had  carried  them 
on,  that  he  gradually  began  to  form  an  idea  of  improving 
on  their  plan,  and  of  accomplishing  discoveries  which 
hitherto  they  had  attempted  in  vain. 

To  find  out  a  passage  by  sea  to  the  East  Indies,  was  the 
grand  object  in  view  at  that  period.  From  the  time  that 
the  Portuguese  doubled  Cape  de  Verd,  this  was  the  point 
at  which  they  aimed  in  all  their  navigations,  and  in  com 
parison  with  it  all  their  discoveries  in  Africa  appeared  in 
considerable.  The  fertility  and  riches  of  India  had  been 
known  for  many  ages ;  its  spices  and  other  commodities 
were  in  high  reputation  throughout  Europe,  and  the  vast 
wealth  of  the  Venetians  arising  from  their  having  engros 
sed  this  trade,  had  raised  the  envy  of  all  nations.  More 
than  half  a  century  had  been  employed  by  the  Portuguese 
in  advancing  from  Cape  Non  to  the  equator,  in  hopes  of 


AMERICA.  53 

arriving  at  India  by  steering  towards  the  south  and  turn 
ing  to  the  east,  after  they  had  sailed  round  the  farther 
extremity  of  Africa.  Even  although  they  could  succeed 
in  arriving  at  India  by  pursuing  this  ^course,  they  were  at 
last  convinced  that  the  remaining  part  of  the  navigation 
from  the  equator  to  India  was  extensive,  that  it  could  not 
but  be  attended  with  uncertainty,  danger,  and  tediousness. 
These  difficulties  naturally  led  Columbus  to  consider  wheth 
er  a  shorter  and  more  direct  passage  to  the  East  Indies 
might  not  be  found  out.  After  revolving  long  and  seriously 
every  circumstance  suggested  by  his  superior  knowledge, 
in  the  theory  as  well  as  practice  of  navigation,  and  com 
paring  attentively  the  observations  of  modern  pilots,  with 
the  hints  and  conjectures  of  ancient  authors,  he  at  last 
concluded  that  by  sailing  directly  towards  the  west  across 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  new  countries  which  probably  formed 
a  part  of  the  great  cotinent  of  India  must  infallibly  be 
discovered.  Columbus  was  confirmed  in  his  opinion  by 
the  accounts  of  a  certain  Portuguese  pilot,  who  having 
stretched  farther  to  the  west  than  was  usual  at  that  time, 
took  up  a  piece  of  timber,  artificially  carved,  floating  on 
the  sea ;  and  as  it  was  driven  towards  him  by  a  westerly 
wind,  he  concluded  that  it  came  from  some  unknown  land 
situated  in  that  quarter. 

Pieces  of  timber  fashioned  in  the  same  manner,  and 
floating  on  the  waves,  were  seen  by  several  Portuguese 
pilots,  to  the  west  of  the  Maderia  isles,  and  thither  they 
were  brought  by  a  westerly  wind.  Canes  of  an  enormous 
size  had  been  found,  which  resembled  those  described  by 
Ptolemy  as  productions  peculiar  to  the  East  Indies,  After 
a  course  of  westerly  winds,  trees  torn  up  by  the  roots  were 
often"  driven  upon  the  coasts  of  the  Azores,  and  at  one 
time  the  dead  bodies  of  two  men,  with  singular  features, 
resembling  neither  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  nor  of  Africa, 
were  cast  ashore  there. 

As  the  force  of  this  united  evidence,  arising  from  the 
oretical  and  practical  observations,  led  Columbus  to  expect 
the  discovery  of  new  countries  in  the  western  ocean,  other 
5* 


54  /  DISCOVERY    OF 

reasons  induced  him  to  believe  that  these  must  be  connect 
ed  with  the  continent  of  India.  Though  the  ancients  had 
hardly  ever  penetrated  into  India  farther  than  the  banks  of 
the  Granges,  yet  some  Greek  authors  had  ventured  to  des 
cribe  the  provinces  beyond  that  river.  As  men  are  prone, 
and  at  liberty,  to  magnify  what  is  remote  or  unknown,  they 
represented  them  as  regions  of  an  immense  extent.  Cesias 
affirmed  that  India  was  as  large  as  all  the  rest  of  Asia. 
Onesicritus,  whom  Pliny,  the  naturalist,  follows,  contended 
that  it  was  equal  to  a  third  part  of  the  inhabitable  earth. 
Nearchus  asserted,  that  it  would  take  four  months  to  march 
in  a  straight  line  from  one  extremity  of  India  to  the  other. 
The  journals  of  Marco  Polo,  who  had  proceeded  towards 
the  east,  far  beyond  the  limits  to  which  any  European  had 
ever  advanced,  seemed  to  confirm  these  exaggerated  ac 
counts  of  the  ancients. 

From  the  magnificent  descriptions  which  Marco  Polo 
gave  of  Carthay  and  Cipango,  and  of  many  other  countries 
on  that  continent,  it  appeared  to  Columbus  that  India  was 
a  region  of  vast  extent.  He  concluded,  that  in  propor 
tion  as  the  continent  of  India  stretched  out  towards  the 
east,  it  must,  in  consequence  of  the  spherical  figure  of  the 
earth,  approach  nearer  to  the  islands  which  had  lately  been 
discovered  to  the  west  of  Africa ;  that  the  distance  from 
the  one  to  the  other  was  probably  not  very  considerable, 
and  that  the  most  direct,  as  well  as  the  shortest  course,  to 
the  remote  regions  of  the  East,  .was  to  be  found  by  sailing 
due  west.  Although  he  was  supported  in  this  opinion  by 
some  of  the  most  eminent  writers  among  the  ancients, 
still,  not  wishing  to  rest  with  absolute  assurance,  either 
upon  his  own  arguments  or  upon  the  authority  of  the  an 
cients,  he  consulted  such  of  his  contemporaries  as  he  con 
sidered  capable  of  comprehending  the  nature  of  the 
evidence  which  he  had  produced.  At  that  time,  as  the 
most  distinguished  astronomer  and  cosmographer  was  one 
Paul,  an  eminent  physician  of  Florence,  Columbus  failed 
not  to'  communicat  >  to  him  his  ideas  concerning  the  pro 
bability  of  discover,  ng  new.countries  by  sailFhg  westward. 


AMERICA.  55 

The  learned  physician  highly  approved  of  the  plan,  and 
exhorted  Columbus  to  persevere  in  so  laudable  an  under 
taking.  Columbus,  being  fully  satisfied  with  respect  to 
the  truth  of  his  system  and  a  successful  issue,  was  impa 
tient  to  bring  it  to  the  test ;  and,  wishing  that  his  native 
country  should  first  reap  the  fruits  of  his  labours,  he  laid 
the  scheme  before  the  senate  of  Genoa.  But  the  Genoese, 
unfortunately  for  their  commonwealth,  were  unacquainted 
with  the  abilities  and  character  of  the  projector,  by  reason 
of  his  having  resided  so  long  in  foreign  countries,  that  they 
rejected  his  plan  as  a  chimerical  undertaking.  The  coun 
try  which  had  the  second  claim  to  his  service  was 
Portugal,  where  he  had  been  long  established.  To  John 
the  Second,  king  of  Portugal,  therefore,  he  made  the  next 
tender  of  his  service,  by  offering  to  sail  under  the  Por 
tuguese  flag,  in  quest  of  the  new  regions  which  he  expect 
ed  to  discover.  At  first  he  met  with  a  favourable  reception 
from  the  king,  to  whom  the  professional  skill  and  personal 
good  qualities  of  Columbus  were  well  known.  As  King 
John  was  a  monarch  of  an  enterprising '  spirit,  and  no 
incompetent  judge  in  naval  affairs,  he  listened  to  Columbus 
in  a  most  gracious  manner,  and  referred  the  consideration 
of  his  plan  to  Diego  Ortiz,  bishop  of  Cereta,  and  two 
Jewish  physicians,  eminent  cosmographers,  whom  he  was 
accustomed  to  consult  in  matters  of  this  kind.  Here  Co 
lumbus  had  to  combat  with  prejudice,  an  enemy  no  less 
formidable  than  the  ignorance  of  the  Genoese,  who  were 
so  little  accustomed  to  distant  voyages,  that  they  could 
form  no  just  idea  of  the  principles  on  which  he  founded 
his  hopes  of  success.  The  persons,  according  to1  whose  de 
cision  his  scheme  was  to  be  adopted  or  rejected  in  Portugal, 
had  been  the  chier  directors  of  the  Portuguese  navigations, 
and  contended  with  great  confidence  that  India  could  be 
arrived  at  by  pursuing  a  course  directly  opposite  to  that 
which  Columbus  recommended.  Under  these  circumstan 
ces  they  could  not  approve  of  his  proposals,  without  sub 
mitting  to  the  double  mortification  of  condemning  their 
own  theory,  and  of  acknowledging  his  superior  sagacity 


56  DISCOVERY   OF 

After  Columbus  had  givxen  such  a  particular  explanation 
of  his  system,  as  might  lead  them  into  a  knowledge  of  its 
nature,  they  declined  passing  any  judgmen  tin  its  favour. 
On  the  contrary  they  endeavonred  to  undermine  him  by 
advising  the  king  to  despatch  a  vessel,  secretly,  in  order 
to  attempt  the  discovery,  by  following  exactly  the  course 
which  Columbus  seemed  to  point  out.  John,  forgetting 
on  this  occasion  the  sentiments  becoming  a  monarch, 
meanly  adopted  this  perfidious  counsel.  But  the  pilot 
chosen  to  execute  Columbus's  plan,  had  neither  the  genius 
nor  the  fortitude  of  its  author.  Contrary  winds  arose,  no 
sight  of  approaching  land  appeared,  his  courage  failed, 
and  he  returned  to  Lisbon  execrating  the  project  as  equally 
extravagant  and  dangerous. 

On  learning  this  dishonourable  transaction,  Columbus 
immediately  quitted  Portugal  and  landed  in  Spain  in  order 
to  court  the  protection  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  who  at 
that  time  governed  the  united  kingdoms  of  Castile  and 
Arragon.  Spain  was  now  engaged  in  a  dangerous  war 
with  Granada,  the  last  of  the  Moorish  kingdoms  in  that 
country ;  and  as  Columbus  had  already  experienced  the 
uncertain  issue  of  applications  to  kings  and  ministers,  he 
took  the  precaution,  at  that  critical  juncture,  of  sending 
into  England  his  brother  Bartholomew,  to  whom  he  had 
fully  communicated  his  ideas,  in  order  that  he  might  ne 
gotiate  with  Henry  VIL,  who  was  reputed  one  of  the  most 
sagacious  as  well  as  opulent  princes  in  Europe.  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  though  fully  occupied  by  their  operations 
against  the  Moors,  paid  so  much  regard  to  Columbus  as  to 
remit  the  consideration  of  his  plan  to  the  queen's  confes 
sor,  Ferdinand  de  Talavera.  This  prelate  consulted  such 
of  his  countrymen  as  he  considered  the  most  skilful  in 
navigation. 

But  Spain  could  not  at  that  time  boast  of  having  pro 
duced  men  who  were  versed  in  true  science,  so  that  those 
who  were  selected  to  decide  a  matter  of  such  moment,  did 
not  comprehend  the  first  principles  upon  which  Columbus 
founded  his  conjectures.  Some  of  them,  from  mistaken 


.      AMERICA.  57 

notions  concerning  the  dimensions  of  the  globe,  contended ' 
that  a  voyage  to  ';hose  remote  parts  of  the  east  which 
Columbus  expected  to  discover,  could  not  be  performed  in 
less  than  three  years.  Others  concluded  that  he  would 
either  find  the  ocean  to  be  of  infinite  extent,  according  to 
the  opinion  of  some  ancient  philosophers,  or  if  he  should 
persist  in  steering  towards  the  west  beyond  a  certain  point, 
that  the  convex  figure  of  the  globe  would  prevent  his 
return,  and  that  he  must  inevitably  perish,  in  the  vain  at 
tempt  to  open  a  communication  between  the  twTo  opposite 
hemispheres,  which  nature  had  for  ever  disjoined. 

They  maintained  that  if  such  countries  existed,  as  Co 
lumbus  represented,  they  could  not  have  remained  so  long 
concealed,  to  be  at  last  discovered  by  an  obscure  Genoese. 
He  was,  therefore,  looked  upon  as  a  presumptuous  man, 
who  pretended  that  he  alone  possessed  knowledge  superior 
to  all  the  rest  of  mankind.  Here,  also,  Columbus  had  to 
contend  with  the  same  ignorance  and  pride  of  false  know 
ledge  which  counteracted  his  plans  in  Portugal.  Five 
years  had  now  elapsed  in  fruitless  endeavours,  when 
Talavera,  to  whom  the  decision  was  referred,  made  such 
an  unfavourable  report  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  as  in 
duced  them  to  acquaint  Columbus,  that  until  the  war  with 
the  Moors  should  be  brought  to  a  period,  it  would  be  im 
prudent  to  engage  in  any  new  and  expensive  enterprise. 
Columbus's  hopes  of  success  were,  however,  so  sanguine 
that  his  enthusiasm  was  not  to  be  cooled  by  delays,  nor 
damped  by  disappointment.  He  next  applied  to  persons 
of  inferior  rank,  and  addressed  successively  the  Dukes  ol 
Medina  Sidonia,  and  Medina  Celi,  who  though  subjects, 
were  possessed  of  power  and  opulence  more  than  equal  to 
the  enterprise  which  he  projected.  Columbus  met  with 
the  same  mortifying  disappointment  from  these  noblemen, 
who  either  from  their  ignorance,  of  the  force  of  his  argu 
ments,  or  a  dread  of  offending  the  pride  of  a  sovereign 
who  w^ould  not  countenance  the  scheme,  rejected  the  plan 
us  the  invention  of  a  chimerical  projector. 

Among  these  disappointments,  Columbus  had  also  the 


00  DISCOVERY    OF 

mortification  to  be  unacquainted  with  the  fate  of  his 
brother,  who,  as  has  been  said  by  some  Spanish  historians, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  pirates  on  his  way  to  England ;  and 
having  been  stripped  of  everything,  was  detained  a  pris 
oner  for  several  years.  At  length  he  made  his  escape  and 
arrived  in  London,  but  in  such  extreme  indigence,  that 
he  wa,s  obliged  to  employ  himself  during  a  considerable 
time,  in  drawing  and  selling  maps,  in  order  to  pick  up  as 
much  money  as  would  purchase  a  decent  dress,  in  which 
he  might  venture  to  appear  at  court.  He  then  laid  before 
the  king  the  proposals  with  which  he  had  been  entrusted 
by  his  brother,  and  notwithstanding  Henry's  excessive 
caution  and  parsimony  which  rendered  him  averse  to  new 
or  expensive  undertakings,  he  received  Columbus' s  over 
tures  with  more  approbation  than  any  monarch  to  whom 
they  had  hitherto  been  presented.  At  this  time  Columbus 
seeing  that  he  had  no  prospect  of  encouragement  in  Spain, 
was  preparing  to  follow  his  brother  to  England. 

But  Juan  Perez,  the  guardian  of  the  monastery  in  which 
Columbus's  children  had  been  educated,  and  a  man  01 
some  credit  with  Isabella,  prevailed  on  him  to.,  defer  his 
journey  for  a  short  time.  This  learned  monk,  being  a 
considerable  proficient  in  mathematical  knowledge,  soon 
became  acquainted  with  the  abilities  and  integrity  of  Co 
lumbus,  to  whom  he  was  so  warmly  attached,  that  he  ven 
tured  to  write  to  Queen  Isabella,  conjuring  her  to  consider 
the  matter  anew  with  the  attention  which  it  merited. 

As  there  was  now  a  certain  prospect  that  the  war  with 
the  Moors  might  be  brought  to  a  happy  issue  by  the  re 
duction  of  Granada,  which  would  leave  the  nation  at  liber 
ty  to  engage  in  new  undertakings,  the  queen,  moved  by 
the  representation  of  Juan  Perez,  a  person  whom  she  re 
spected  as  a  competent  judge  to  decide  in  matters  of  this 
description,  countenanced,  for  the  second  time,  the  grand 
schemes  of  Columbus.  Accordingly,  she  desired  Perez  to 
repair  to  the  village  of  Santa  Fe,  in  which,  on  account  of 
the  siege  of  Granada,  the  court  resided  at  that  time,  that 
she  might  confer  with  him  on  this  important  subject.  This 


AMERICA.  59 

interview  proved  so  favourable,  that  Columbus  received  a 
warm  invitation  to  return  to  court.  His  former  friends, 
therefore,  Alonzo  de  Quintanilla,  comptroller  of  the  finances 
in  Castile,  and  Louis  de  Santangel,  receiver  of  the  eccle 
siastical  revenues  in  Arragon,  seeing  this  happy  change 
in  favour  of  Columbus,  appeared  with  greater  confidence 
lhan  ever  to  support  his  scheme.  Although  Isabella  ex 
pressed  her  approbation,  still  Ferdinand  pronounced  the 
scheme  to  to  be  impracticable.  Columbus,  however,-  as  if 
determined  to  surmount  every  obstacle  that  could  be 
thrown  in  his  way,  appeared  before  them  with  the  same 
confident  hopes  of  success  as  formerly,  and  insisted  upon 
the  same  high  recompense.  Columbus  proposed  that  a 
small  fleet  should  be  fitted  out  under  his  command,  to  at 
tempt  the  discovery ;  that  he  should  be  appointed  hered 
itary  admiral  and  viceroy  of  all  the  seas  and  lands  which 
he  should  discover ;  and  that  he  should  have  the  tenth 
part  of  the  profits  arising  from  them  settled  irrevocably 
upon  himself  and  his  descendants.  At  the  same  time  he 
offered  to  advance  the  eighth  pait  of  the  sum  necessary 
for  accomplishing  his  design,  on  condition  that  he  should  be 
entitled  to  a  proportional  share  of  benefit  from  the  ad 
venture. 

If  the  enterprise  should  totally  fail,  he  made  no  stipu 
lation  for  any  reward  or  emolument  whatever.  But  the 
persons  with  whom  Columbus  was  treating,  began  to 
calculate  the  enormous  expense  of  the  expedition,  and  the 
exorbitant  reward  which  he  demanded  for  himself.  In 
this  imposing  garb  of  caution  and  prudence,  they  misrep 
resented  everything  to  Ferdinand,  wrhj  opposed  the  ad 
venture  from  the  commencement,  Isabella,  though  more 
generous  and  enterprising,  was  under  the  influence  of  her 
husband  in  all  her  actions,  and  declined  again  giving  any 
countenance  to  Columbus.  Thus  Columbus  almost  des 
paired  of  success,  and  withdrew  from  court  in  deep  anguish, 
with  an  intention  of  prosecuting  his  voyage  to  England,  as 
his  last  resource.  About  that  time,  Granada  surrendered, 
and  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  in  triumphal  pomp,  took  pos- 


60  DISCOVEKY   OF 

session  of  a  city,  the  reduction  of  which  extirpated  a 
sovereign  power  from  the  heart  of  their  dominions,  and 
rendered  them  masters  of  all  the  provinces  extending  from 
the  bottom  of  the  Pyrenees  to  the  frontiers  of  Portugal. 

As  the  flow  of  spirits  which  accompanies  success  elevates 
the  mind,  and  renders  it  enterprising,  Quintanilla  and 
Santangel,  the  vigilant  and  discerning  patrons  of  Colum 
bus,  took  advantage  of  this  favourable  situation,  in  order 
to  make  one  effort  more  in  behalf  of  their  friend.  They 
addressed  themselves  to  Isabella,  and  represented  Colum 
bus  as  a  man  of  sound  understanding  and  virtuous  charac- 
acter,  well  qualified  by  his  experience  in  "navigation,  as 
well  as  his  knowledge  in  geometry  to  form  just  ideas 
with  respect  to  the  structure  of  the  globe  and  the  situa 
tion  of  its  various  regions.  The  sum  requisite,  they  skid, 
for  equipping  such  an  armament  as  he  demanded,  was 
inconsiderable,  and  the  advantages  which  might  accrue 
from  his  undertaking  were  immense.  They  also  con 
vinced  her  that  his  offer  to  risk  his  life  and  fortune  in  the 
execution  of  his  scheme,  gave  the  most  satisfying  evidence 
both  of  his  integrity  and  hope  of  success. 

These  forcible  arguments,  urged  by  persons  of  such 
authority,  and  at  a  juncture  so  well  chosen,  produced  the 
desired  effect.  They  dispelled  all  Isabella's  fears  and 
doubts.  She  ordered  Columbus  to  be  instantly  recalled, 
and  declared  her  resolution  to  employ  him  on  his  own 
terms.  The  state  of  her  finances  were  at  that  time  so  low, 
that  she  offered  to  pledge  her  own  jewels,  in  order  to 
raise  as  much  money  as  might  be  required  to  accomplish 
his  design.  Santangel,  however,  lest  she  might  have 
recourse  to  such  a  mortifying  expedient  engaged  to  ad 
vance  immediately  the  sum  that  was  requisite.  Colum 
bus,  upon  hearing  this  unexpected  revolution  in  his  fa 
vour,  returned  to  Santa  Fe,for  he  was  now  several  leagues 
on  his  journey  to  England.  The  negotiation  now  went 
forward  with  facility  and  despatch,  and  a  treaty  of  ca 
pitulation  with  Columbus  was  signed  on  the  seventeenth 
of  April,  1492. 


AMERICA.  61 

The  chief  articles  of  it  were :  1.  Ferdinand  and  Isa 
bella,  as  sovereigns  of  the  ocean,  constituted  Columbus 
their  high  admiral  in  .all  the  seas,  islands,  and  continents 
which  might  be  discovered  by  his  industry ;  and  stipulated, 
that  he  and  his  heirs  forever  should  enjoy  this  office,  with 
'  the  same  powers  and  prerogatives  which  belonged  to  the 
high  admiral  of  Castile,  within  the  limits  of  his  jurisdic 
tion. 

2.  They  appointed  Columbus  their  viceroy  in  all 
the  islands  and  continents  which  he  should  discover ;  but 
if,  for  the  better  administration  of  affairs,  it  should  here 
after  be  necessary  to  establish  a  separate  governor  in  any 
of  those  countries,  they  authorized  Columbus  to  name 
three  persons,  of  whom  they  would  choose  one,  for  that 
office  j  and  the  dignity  of  viceroy,  with  all  its  immunities, 
was  likewise  to  be  hereditary  in  the  family  of  Columbus. 

3.  They  granted   to  Columbus,  and  his  heirs  forever, 
the  tenth  part  of  the  free  profits  accruing  from  the  pro 
ductions  and  commerce  of  the  countries  he  should  discover. 

4.  They  declared  that  if  any  controversy   or   lawsuit 
should  arise,  with  respect  to  any  mercantile  transaction  in 
the  countries  which  should  be  discovered,  it  should  be  de 
termined  by  the  sole  authority  of  Columbus,  or  of  judges 
to  be  appointed  by  him. 

5.  They   permitted    Columbus  to   advance   oneeighth 
part  of  what  should  be  expended  in  preparing  for  the  ex 
pedition,  and  in  carrying  on  commerce  with  the  countries 
he  should  discover,  and  entitled  him  in  return  to  one  eighth 
part  of  the  profit. 

As  soon  as  the  treaty  was  signed,  Isabella,  by  her  at 
tention  and  activity  in  forwarding  the  preparations  for 
the  voyage,  endeavoured  to  make  some  reparation  to 
Columbus  for  the  time  he  had  lost  in  fruitless  solicitation. 
By  the  12th  of  May,  all  that  depended  upon  her  was  ad 
justed. 

After  Columbus  hal  waited  on  the  king  and  queen, 
and  received  his  final  instructions,  Isabella  ordered  the 
ships  of  which  Columbus  was  to  take  the  command,  to  be 
6 


62 


DISCOVERY    OF 


fitted  out  in  the  port  of  Palos,  a  small  maritime  town  in 
the  province  of  Andalusia.  Fortunately  for  Columbus, 
Juan  Perez,  who  always  interested  himself  in  behalf  •  of 
this  enterprising  navigator,  resided  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  this  place,  arid  by  the  influence  of  this  good  ecclesiastic, 
Columbus  not  only  procured  the  sum  he  was  bound  by 
treaty  to  advance,  but  also  engaged  several  of  the  in 
habitants  to  accompany  him  in  the  voyage.  The  chief 
of  these  associates  were  three  brothers  of  the  name  of 
Pinzon,  of  considerable  wealth  and  of  great  experience 
in  naval  affairs,  who  were  willing  to  hazard  their  lives 
and  fortunes  in  the  expedition.  But  after  all  the  efforts  of 
Isabella  and  Columbus,  the  armament  was  not  suitable, 
either  to  the  dignity  of  the  nation  by  which  it  was  equip 
ped,  or  to  the  importance  of  the  service  for  which  it  was 
destined. 

The  small  squadron  consisted  of  three  vessels.  The 
largest,  a  ship  of  no  considerable  burden,  was  commanded 
by  Columbus  as  admiral,  who  gave  it  the  name  of  Santa 
Maria,  out  of  respect  for  the  Virgin  Mary.  The  second, 
which  was  called  the  Pinta,  was  commanded  by  Martin 
Pinzon.  Of  the  third,  named  the  Nigna,  Vincent  Yanez 
was, captain.  This  squadron  was  victualled  for  twelve 
months,  and  had  on  board  ninety  men,  mostly  sailors,  to 
gether  with  a  few  adventurers  who  followed  the  fortune  of 
Columbus,  and  some  gentlemen  of  Isabella's  court,  whom 
she  appointed  to  accompany  him. 

Though  the  expense  of  the  undertaking  was  one  of  the 
circumstances  which  chiefly  alarmed  the  court  of  Spain, 
and  retarded  so  long  the  negotiation  with  Columbus,  the 
sum  employed  in  fitting  out  this  squadron  did  not  exceed 
four  thousand  pounds. 

As  the  art  of  ship  building  in  the  fifteenth  century  was 
extremely  rude,  and  the  bulk  of  the  vessels  was  accommoda 
ted  to  the  short  and  easy  voyage  along  the  coast,  which  they 
were  accustomed  to  perform,  it  is  a  proof  of  the  courage 
as  well  as  the  enterprising  genius  of  Columbus,  that  he 
ventured,  with  a  fleet  so  unfit  for  a  distant  navigation,  to 


(I .--  


AMERICA.  63 

explore  unknown  seas,  where  he  had  no  chart  to  guide 
him,  no  knowledge  of  the  tides  and  currents,  and  no  ex 
perience  of  the  dangers  to  which  he  might  be  exposed. 

His  eagerness  to  accomplish  the  great  design  which 
had  so  long  engrossed  his  thoughts,  made  him  overlook  or 
disregard  every  circumstance  that  would  have  intimidated 
a  mind  less  adventurous.  He  pushed  forward  the  prep 
arations  with  such  ardour,  and  was  seconded  so  effect 
ually  by  the  persons  to  wrhom  Isabella  had  committed  the 
superintendance  of  this  business,  that  every  thing  was 
soon  in  readiness  for  the  voyage.  But  as  Columbus  was 
deeply  impressed  with  sentiments  of  religion,  he  would  not 
set  out  on  an  expedition  so  arduous,  and  of  which  one 
great  object  was  to  propagate  the  Christian  faith,  without 
imploring  publicly  the  protection  and  guidance  of  Heaven. 
"With  this  vjew,  he,  together  with  all  the  persons  under 
his  command,  marched  in  solemn  procession  to  the  monas 
tery  of  Rabida,  wrhere,  having  confessed  their  sins,  they 
received  the  holy  sacrament  from  the  hands  of  the  guar 
dian,  Juan  Perez,  who  joined  his  prayers  to  theirs  for  the 
success  of  an  enterprise  which  he  had  so  zealously  patro 
nized. 

Next  morning,  being  Friday  the  3d  of  August,  in  the 
year  1492,  Columbus  set  sail,  a  little  before  sun  rise,  in 
presence  of  a  vast  crowd  of  spectators,  who  sent  up  their 
supplications  to  Heaven,  for  the  prosperous  issue  of  the 
voyage,  wThich  they  wished  rather  than  expected.  Colum 
bus  steered  directly  for  the  Canary  Islands,  and  arrived 
there,  August  13, 1492,  without  any  occurrence  that  would 
haye  deserved  notice  on  any  other  occasion.  But,  in  a 
voyage  of  such  expectation  and  importance,  every  circum 
stance  was  the  object  of  attention.  The  rudder  of  the 
Pirtta  broke  loose,  the  day  after  she  left  the  harbour,  and 
that  accident  alarmed  the  crewr,  no  less  superstitious  than 
unskilful,  as  a  certain  omen  of  the  unfortunate  destiny  of 
the  expedition. 

Even  in  the  short  run  to  the  Canaries,  the  ships  were 
found  to  be  so  crazy  and  ill- appointed,  as  to  be  very  im- 


61  DISCOVERY   OF 

proper  for  a  navigation,  which  was  expected  to  be  both 
long  and  dangerous.  Columbus  refitted  them,  however,  to 
the  best  of  his  power,  and  having  supplied  himself  with 
fresh  provisions,  he  took  his  departure  from  Gomera,  one 
of  the  most  westerly  of  the  Canary  Islands,  on  the  sixth 
day  of  September. 

Here  the  voyage  of  discovery  may  probably  be  said  to 
begin  ;  for  Columbus,  holding  his  course  due  west,  left  im 
mediately  the  usual  track  of  navigation,  and  stretched  into 
unfrequented  and  unknown  seas.  The  first  day,  as  it  was 
very  calm,  he  made  but  little  way;  but  on  the  second,  he 
lost  sight  of  the  Canaries ;  and  many  of  the  sailors,  deject 
ed  already  and  dismayed,  when  they  contemplated  the 
boldness  of  the  undertaking,  began  to  beat  their  breasts 
and  to  shed  tears>  as  if  they  were  never  more  to  behold 
land.  Columbus  comforted  them  with  assurances  of  suc 
cess,  and  the  prospect  of  vast  wealth,  in  those  opulent  re 
gions  whither  he  was  conducting  them. 

This  early  discovery  of  the  spirit  of  his  followers  taught 
Columbus,  that  he  must  prepare  to  struggle,  not  only  with 
the  unavoidable  difficulties  which  might  be  expected  from 
the  nature  of  his  undertaking,  but  with  such  as  were  like 
ly  to  arise  from  the  ignorance  and  timidity  of  the  people 
under  his  command ;  and  he  perceived  that  the  art  of  gov 
erning  the  minds  of  men  would  be  no  less  requisite  for  ac 
complishing  the  discoveries  which  he  had  in  view,  than 
naval  skill  and  undaunted  courage.  Happily  for  himself 
and  the  country  by  which  he  was  employed,  he  joined  to 
the  ardent  temper  and  inventive  genius  of  a  projector,  vir 
tues  of  another  species,  which  are  rarely  united  with  them. 
He  possessed  a  thorough  knowledge  of  mankind,  an  insin 
uating  address,  a  patient  perseverance  in  executing  any 
plan,  the  perfect  government  of  his  passions,  and  the  ta 
lent  of  acquiring  an  ascendant  of  those  of  other  men. 
All  these  qualifications  which  formed  him  for  command, 
were  accompanied  with  that  superior  knowledge  of  his 
profession  which  begets  confidence  in  times  of  difficulty 
and  danger.  To  unskilful  Spanish  sailors,  accustomed 


AMERICA.  65 

only  to  coasting  voyages  in  the  Mediterranean,  the  mari 
time  science  of  Columbus,  the  fruit  of  thirty  years'  ex 
perience,  improved  by  an  acquaintance  with  all  the  inven 
tions  of  the  Portuguese,  appeared  immense.  As  soon  as 
they  put  to  sea  he  regulated  everything  by  his  sole 
authority ;  he  superintended  the  execution  of  every  order ; 
and  allowing  himself  only  a  few  hours  for  sleep,  he  was  at 
all  other  times  on  deck.  As  his  course  lay  through  seas 
which  had  not  formerly  been  visited,  the  sounding  line  or 
instruments  for  observation  were  continually  in  his  hands. 
After  the  example  of  the  Portuguese  discoverers,  he  attend 
ed  to  the  motion  of  tides  and  currents,  watched  the  flight 
of  birds,  the  appearance  of  fishes,  of  see  weeds,  and  of  every 
thing  that  floated  on  the  waves,  and  entered  every  occur 
rence  with  a  minute  exactness  in  the  journal  which  he  kept. 
As  the  length  of  the  voyage  could  not  fail  of  alarming 
sailors  habituated  only  to  short  excursions ;  Columbus  en 
deavoured  to  conceal  from  them  the  real  progress  which 
they  had  made  with  this  view,  though  they  had  run  eighteen 
leagues  on  the  second  day  after  they  had  left  Gomera,  he 
gave  out  that  they  had  advanced  only  fifteen,  and  he 
uniformly  employed  the  same  artifice  during  the  whole 
voyage.  By  the  14th  of  September  the  fleet  was  above 
two  hundred  leagues  to  the  west  of  the  Canary  isles,  at  a 
greater  distance  from  land  than  any  Spaniard  had  been  be 
fore  that  time.  There  they  were  struck  with  an  appear 
ance  no  less  astonishing  than  new.  They  observed  that 
the  magnetic  needle,  in  their  compasses,  did  not  point  ex 
actly  to  the  polar  star,  but  varied  towards  the  west ;  and 
as  they  proceeded,  this  variation  increased.  This  appear 
ance  which  is  now  familiar,  though  it  still  remains  one  of 
the  mysteries  of  nature,  filled  the  companions  of  Columbus 
with  terror.  They  were  now  in  a  boundless  unknown 
ocean,  far  from  the  usual  course  of  navigation ;  nature 
itself  seemed  to  be  altered,  and  the  only  guide  which  they 
had  left  was  about  to  fail  them.  Columbus,  with  no  less 
quickness  than  ingenuity,  invented  a  reason  for  this  ap 
pearance,  wh  ch,  though  it  did  not  satisfy  himself,  seemed 
«* 


66  DISCOVERY    OF 

so  plausible  to  them,  that  it  dispelled  their  fears  and 
silenced  their  murmurs 

He  still  continued  to  steer  due  west,  nearly  in  the  same 
latitude  with  the  Canary  Islands.  In  this  course  he  came 
within  the  sphere  of  the  trade  wind,  which  blows  invari 
ably  from  east  to  west,  between  the  tropics  and  a  few 
degrees  beyond  them.  He  advanced  before  this  steady 
gale,  with  such  uniform  rapidity  that  it  was  seldom  neces 
sary  to  shift  a  sail.  When  about  four  hundred  leagues  to 
Ihe  west  of  the  Canaries  he  found  the  sea  so  covered  with 
weeds,  that  it  resembled  a  meadow  of  vast  extent ;  and  in 
some  places  they  were  so  thick  as  to  retard  the  motion  of 
the  vessels.  This  strange  appearance  occasioned  new 
alarm  and  disquiet.  The  sailors  imagined  that  they  had 
now  arrived  at  the  utmost  boundary  of  the  navigable 
ocean  ;  that  these  floating  weeds  would  obstruct  their  far 
ther  progress,  and  conceal  dangerous  rocks,  or  some  large 
tract  of  land,  which  had  sunk,  they  knew  not  how,  in  that 
place.  Columbus  endeavoured  to  persuade  them,  that 
what  had  alarmed,  ought  to  have  encouraged  them,  and 
was  to  be  considered  as  a  sign  of  approaching  land.  At 
the  same  time  a  brisk  gale  arose,  and  carried  them  for 
ward.  Several  birds  were  seen  hovering  about  the  ships, 
and  directed  their  flight  towards  the  west.  The  despond 
ing  crew  resumed  some  degree  of  spirit,  and  began  to  en 
tertain  fresh  hopes. 

Upon  the  first  of  October  they  were,  according  to  the 
Admiral's  reckoning,  seven  hundred  and  seventy  leagues 
to  the  west  of  the  Canaries ;  but  lest  his  men  should  be 
intimidated  by  the  prodigious  length  of  navigation,  he 
gave  out  that  they  had  proceeded  only  five  hundred  and 
eighty-four  leagues ;  and  fortunately  for  Columbus,  neither 
his  own  pilot,  nor  those  of  the  other  ships,  had  skill  suffi 
cient  to  correct  this  error  and  discover  the  deceit.  They 
had  now  been  above  three  weeks  at  sea,  and  had  advanced 
far  beyond  what  former  navigators  attempted  or  deemed 
possible.  All  their  prognostics  of  discovery,  drawn  from 
the  flight  of  birds  and  other  circumstances  proved  falla- 


AMERICA.  67 

clous.  This  disappointment  made  first  and  impression 
on  the  minds  of  the  timid  and  ignorant ;  but  by  degrees 
the  contagion  spread  from  ship .  to  ship.  From  secret  whis 
perings  and  murmurings,  they  proceeded  to  open  cabals 
and  public  complaints.  They  taxed  their  sovereign  with 
inconsiderate  credulity,  in  paying  such  regard  to  the  vain 
promises  and  rash  conjectures  of  an  indigent  foreigner 
They  affirmed  that  they  had  done  their  duty,  by  venturing 
so  far  in  an  unknown  and  hopeless  course,  without  any 
probability  of  discovering  those  new  countries  which  their 
commander  described. 

Columbus  was  now  fully  sensible  of  his  perilous  situa 
tion.  He  had  observed  with  great  uneasiness  the  fatal 
operation  of  ignorance  and  fear.  He  saw  to  his  great 
mortification,  that  the  disaffection  among  the  crew  was 
ready  to  burst  out  into  an  open  mutiny.  Notwithstanding 
the  agitation  and  solicitude  of  his  mind,  Columbus  pre 
tended  to  be  ignorant  of  their  machinations,  and  appeared 
before  them  with  a  cheerful  countenance,  like  a  man 
satisfied  with  the  progress  he  had  made.  Sometimes  he 
employed  all  the  arts  of  insinuation  to  soothe  his  men. 
Sometimes  he  endeavoured  to  work  upon  their  ambition 
or  avarice,  by  magnificent  descriptions  of  the  fame  and 
wealth  which  they  were  about  to  acquire.  On  other  oc 
casions,  he  assumed  a  tone  of  authority  and  threatened 
them  with  vengeance  from  their  sovereign,  if  by  their 
dastardly  behaviour,  they  would  defeat  this  noble  effort  to 
exalt  the  Spanish  name  above  that  of  every  other  nation 
Even  with  seditious  sailors,  the  words  of  a  man  whom 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  reverence,  were  weighty  and 
persuasive,  and  not  only  restrained  them  from  violent  ex 
cesses,  which  thej  meditated,  but  prevailed  on  them  to 
accompany  him  for  some  time  longer. 

As  they  proceeded,  the  indications  of  approaching  land 
seemed  to  be  more  certain,  and  excited  some  in  proportion. 
The  birds  began  to  appear  in  flocks,  making  towards  the 
south-west.  Columbus,  in  imitation  of  the  Portuguese 
navigators,  who  had  been  guided  in  several  of  their1  dis- 


68  DISCOVERY    OF 

coveries,  by  the  motion  of  birds,  altered  his  course  from 
due  west  towards  that  quarter  whither  they  pointed  their 
flight.  But,  after  holding  on  for  several  days  in  this  new 
direction,  without  any  better  success  than  formerly,  the 
hopes  of  his  companions  subsided  faster  than  they  had 
risen.  Impatience,  rage,  and  despair  appeared  on  every 
countenance  ;  all  sense  of  subordination  was  lost,  and  the 
officers  who  had  formerly  concurred  with  Columbus  in 
opinion,  and  supported  his  authority,  now  took  part  with 
the  private  men;  they  assembled  tumultuously  on  the 
deck,  expostulated  with  the  commander,  mingled  threats 
with  expostulations,  and  required  him  instantly  to  tack 
about  and  return  to  Europe.  Columbus  perceived  that  it 
would  be  of  no  avail  to  have  recourse  to  his  former  arts, 
which  having  been  tried  so  often,  had  lost  their  effect ;  and 
that  it  was  impossible  to  rekindle  any  zeal  for  the  success 
of  the  expedition  among  men,  in  whose  hearts'  fear  had 
extinguished  every  generous  sentiment.  He  saw  that  it 
would  be  no  less  vain  to  think  of  employing  either  gentle 
or  severe  measures,  to  quell  a  mutiny  so  general  and 
violent.  At  this  critical  juncture,  he  promised  solemnly 
that  he  would  return,  provided  they  would  accompany 
him  three  days  longer.  Enraged  as  the  sailors  were,  this 
proposition  did  not  appear  unreasonable.  The  presages 
of  discovering  land  became  now  more  numerous.  The 
flocks  of  birds  increased,  and  were  composed  not  only  ot 
sea  fowl,  but  of  such  land  birds  as  could  not  be  supposed 
fly  far  from  the  shore. 

The  c1  ew  of  the  Pinta  observed  a  cane  floating,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  newly  cut,  and.  likewise  a  piece  ot 
timber  artificially  carved.  The  sailors  aboard  the  Nigna 
took  v,p  the  b'ranch  of  a  tree  with  red  berries  perfectly 
fresh.  The  clouds  around  the  setting  sun  assumed  a  ne*w 
apperance  ;  the  air  was  more  mild  and  warm,  and  during 
night,  the  wind  became  unequal  and  variable.  From  all 
these  symptoms,  Columbus  was  so  confident  of  being  near 
land,  that  on  the  evening  of  the  eleventh  of  October,  after 
public  prayers  for  success,  he  ordered  the  sails  to  be  furled. 


AMERICA.  69 

and  the  ships  to  lie  to,  keeping  strict  watch,  lest  they 
should  be  driven  ashore  in  the  nig.ht.  During  this  inter 
val  of  suspense  and  expectation,  no  man  shut  his  eyes,  all 
kept  upon  deck,  gazing  intently  towards  that  quarter 
where  they  expected  to  discover  the  land,  which  had  been 
so  long  the  object  of  their  wishes.  About  two  hours  before 
midnight,  Columbus,  standing  on  the  forecastle,  observed 
a  light  at  a  distance,  and  privately  pointed  it  out  to  Pedro 
Gutherez,  a  page  of  the  queen  's  wardrobe.  Gutherez  per 
ceived  it,  and  calling  to  Salcedo,  comptroller  of  the  fleet, 
all  three  saw  it  in  motion,  as  if  it  were  carried  from  place 
to  place.  A  little  after  midnight,  the  joyful  sound  of  land, 
land,  was  heard  from  the  Pinta,  which  kept  always  ahead 
of  the  other  ships.  But,  having  been  so  often  deceived  by 
fallacious  appearances,  every  man  was  now  become  slow 
of  belief,  and  waited  in  all  the  anguish  of  uncertainty  and 
impatience,  for  the  return  of  day.  As  soon  as  morning 
dawned,  Friday,  October  12,  all  doubts  and  fears  were 
dispelled.  From  every  ship  an  island  was  seen  about  two 
leagues  to  the  north,  whose  flat  and  verdant  fields,  well 
stored  with  wood,  and  watered  with  many  rivulets,  pre 
sented  the  aspect  of  a  delightful  country.  The  crew  of 
the  Pinta  instantly  began  the  Te  Deum,  as  a  hymn  ol 
thanksgiving  to  God,  and  were  joined  by  those  of  the  other 
ships,  with  tears  of  joy  and  transports  of  congratulation. 
This  office  of  gratitude  to  heaven,  was  followed  by  an  act 
of  justice  to  their  commander.  They  threw  themselves  at 
the  feet  of  Columbus,  with  feelings  of  self-condemnation, 
mingled  with  reverence.  They  implored  him  to  pardon 
their  ignorance,  incredulity,  and  insolence,  which  had 
created  him  so  much  unnecessary  disquiet,  and  had  so  often 
obstructed  the  prosecution  of  his  well-concerted  plan :  and 
passing  in  the  warmth  of  their  admiration,  from  one  ex 
treme  to  another,  they  now  pronounced  the  man,  whom 
they  had  so  lately  reviled  and  threatened  to  be  a  person 
sent  by  heaven  with  sagacity  and  fortitude  more  than 
human,  in  order  to  accomplish  a  design,  so  far  beyond  the 
ideas  and  conceptions  of  all  former  ages. 


70  DISCOVERY    OF 

As  soon  as  the  sun  arose,  all  their  boats  were  manned 
and  armed.  They  rowed  towards  the  islands  with  their 
colours  displayed,  with  warlike  music,  and  other  martial 
pomp.  As  they  approached  the  coast,  they  saw  it  covered 
with  a  multitude  of  people,  whom  the  novelty  of  the  spec 
tacle  had  drawn  together,  whose  attitudes  and  gestures 
expressed  wonder  and  astonishment  at  the  strange  objects 
wrhich  presented  themselves  to  their  view.  Columbus  was 
the  first  European  who  set  foot  in  the  new  world  which 
he  had  discovered.  He  landed  in  a  rich  dress,  and  with 
a  naked  sword  in  his  hand.  His  men  followed,  and  knee 
ling  down,  they  all  kissed  the  ground  which  they  had  so 
long  desired  to  see.  They  next  erected  a  crucifix,  and 
prostraiting  themselves  before  it,  returned  thanks  to  God 
for  conducting  their  voyage  to  such  a  happy  issue.  They 
then  took  solemn  possession  of  the  country  for  the  crown 
of  Castile  and  Leon,  with  all  the  formalities  which  the 
Portuguese  were  accustomed  to  observe  in  acts  of  this 
kind,  in  their  own  discoveries. 

The  Spaniards,  while  thus  employed,  were  surrounded 
by  many  of  the  natives,  who  gazed  in  silent  admiration 
upon  actions  which  they  could  not  comprehend,  and  of 
which  they  did  not  foresee  the  consequences.  The  dress 
of  the  Spaniards,  the  whiteness  of  their  skins,  their  beards, 
their  arms  appeared  strange  and  surprising. 

The  vast  machine  in  which  they  had  traversed  the 
ocean,  that  seemed  to  move  in  the  water  with  wings,  and 
uttered  a  dreadful  sound  resembling  thunder,  accom 
panied  with  lightning  and  smoke,  struck  them  with  such 
terror,  that  they  began  to  respect  their  new  guests  as  a 
superior  order  of  beings,  and  concluded  that  they  were 
children  of  the  sun,  who  had  descended  to  visit  the 
earth. 

The  Europeans  where  hardly  less  amazed  at  the  scene 
now  before  them.  .Every  herb,  and  shrub,  and  tree  was 
different  from  those  which  flourished  t  in  Europe.  The 
soil  seemed  to  be  rich,  but  bore  few  marks  of  cultivation. 
The  climate,  even  to  Spaniards,  felt  warm,  though  ex- 


AMERICA.  71 

tremely  delightful.  The  inhabitants  appeared  in  the 
simple  innocence  of  nature,  entirely  naked.  Their  black 
hair,  long  and  uncurled,  floated  upon  their  shoulders,  or 
was  bound  in  tresses  around  their  heads.  They  had  no 
beards,  and  every  part  of  their  bodies  was  perfectly 
smooth.  Their  complexion  was  of  a  dusky  copper  col 
our,  their  features  singular,  rather  than  disagreeable,  their 
aspect  gentle  and  timid ;  though  not  tall,  they  were  well 
shaped,  and  active.  Their  faces  and  several  parts  of  their 
bodies  were  fantastically  painted  with  glaring  colours. 
They  were  shy  at  first,  through  fear,  but  soon  became 
familiar  with  the  Spaniards,  and  with  transports  of  joy 
received  from  them  hawk's-bills,  glass  beads,  or  other 
baubles  in  return,  for  which  they  gave  such  provisions  as 
they  had,  and  some  cotton  yarn,  the  only  commodity  of 
value  they  could  produce.  Towards  evening  Columbus 
returned  to  the  ships,  accompanied  by  many  of  the 
islanders  in  their  boats,  which  they  called  canoes,  and, 
though  rudely  formed  out  of  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree,  they 
rowed  them  with  surprising  dexterity.  Thus  in  the  first 
interview  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  old  and  new 
worlds,  every  thing  wras  conducted  amicably,  and  to  their 
mutual  satisfaction.  The  former,  enlightened  and  am 
bitious,  formed  already  vast  ideas  with  respect  to  the 
advantages  \vhich  they  might  derive  from  the  regions 
which  began  to  open  to  their  view.  The  latter,  simple  and 
undiscerning,  had  no  foresight  of  the  calamities  and  deso 
lation  which  were  approaching  their  country.  Columbus, 
who  now  assumed  the  title  and  authority  of  admiral  and 
viceroy,  called  the  island  which  he*  discovered  San 
Salvador. 

It  is  better  known  by  the  name  of  Guanahani,  which  the 
natives  gave  it,  and  is  one  of  that  large  cluster  of  islands 
called  the  Lucaya  or  Bahama  Isles.  Thus  Columbus,  by  his 
superior  sagacity  and  fortitude  had  conducted  the  Span 
iards,  by  a  rout  concealed  from  past  ages,  to  the  know 
ledge  of  the  new  world.  No  event  ever  proved  so  interest 
ing  to  mankind  in  general,  and  to  the  inhabitants  of 


72  DISCOVERY    OF    AMERICA- 

Europe  in  particular,  as  the  discovery  of  America  and  the 
passage  to  India  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope :  it  at  once 
gave  rise  to  a  revolution  in  the  commerce  and  in  the  power 
of  nations,  as  well  as  in  the  manners,  industry,  and  gov 
ernment  of  almost  the  whole  world.  At  this  period  new 
connexions  were  formed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  most 
distant  regions,  for  the  supply  of  wants  they  had  never  be 
fore  experienced.  The  production  of  climates  situated  under 
the  equator  were  consumed  in  countries  bordering  on  the 
pole;  the  industry  of  the  north  was  transplanted  to  the 
south ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  were  clothed  with  the 
the  manufactures  of  the  east ;  in  short,  a  general  intercourse 
of  opinions,  laws,  and  customs,  diseases  and  remedies, 
virtues  and  vices,  were  established  among  them. 

Such  is  a  brief  account  of  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus ;  and  with  respect  to  the  voyage  itself  and  what 
relates  to  the  famous  navigator  and  his  vicissitudes  of  for 
tune  at  the  court  of  Spain,  we  have  chiefly  followed 
Winterbotham,  frequently  verbatim. 


ORIGIN 


OF    THE 


NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS 


HAVING  given  an  account  of  the  discovery  of  America 
by  Christopher  Columbus,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  ac 
count  for  the  peopling  of  this  continent.  When  America 
was  discovered,  it  was  found  habited  by  a  race  of  people, 
no  less  different  from  the  inhabitants  of  Europe,  Africa, 
and  the  greater  part  of  Asia,  than  the  climate  and  natural 
productions  of  the  new  world  are  different  from  those  of 
the  old.  To  trace  the  descent  of  the  red  men  who  are 
melting,  as  was  said  by  one  of  their  most  celebrated  war 
riors,*  "  like  snow  before  the  sun/''  and  perpetuate  their 
national  character  on  the  page  of  history,  before  they 
totally  disappear  as  a  portion  of  the  human  race,  will,  we 
have  no  doubt,  be  no  less  gratifying  to  the  scientific 
than  to  the  curious.  In  perambulating,  this  labyrinth  of 
obscurity  and  antiquity,  no  safer  guide  can  be  offered  us, 
than  a  portrait  of  the  characteristical  features  of  the  In 
dians,  which,  when  compared  with  the  national  charac 
ter  of  some  Asiatic  tribes,  will,  by  the  resemblance  which, 


*  The  noted  Miami  chief  Mishikinakwa,  or  Little  Turtle,  who  con 
tributed  most  to  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair. 
7 


74  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

in  their  manners,  habits,  and  customs,  they  bear  to  each 
other,  lead  us  to  the  original  scource  whence  sprang  the 
North  American  Indians.  The  European  colonies  in 
America  have  now  become  too  numerous  and  too  power 
ful  to  fear- the  effects  of  savage  barbarity,  and  when  fear 
ceases,  contempt  is  the  natural  consequence.  While  the 
Indians  are  thus  despised  and  forgotten  as  the  original 
proprietors  of  this  vast  continent,  which  has  served  as  a 
refuge  to  the  oppressed  inhabitants  of  Europe,  in  general 
they  are  by  many  deemed  unworthy  the  attention  of  the 
antiquary.  The  Indians,  it  is  true,  cannot  be  classed 
among  civilized  nations,  who  cultivated  the  arts,  agricul 
ture,  and  commerce  ;  still,  leading  a  barbarous  life  as  they 
did,  it  cannot  be  denied  but  that  the  lofty  notions  of  hon 
our  and  independence,  with  which  the  minds  of  some 
Indian  tribes  were  imbued  and  urged  them  to  deeds  of 
admirable  heroism  and  striking  generosity,  is  a  proof  of 
elevation  of  mind  and  refinement  of  sentiment ;  qualities, 
perhaps,  which  are  seldom  to  be  found  among  those  who 
charge  the  Indians  with  an  inferiority  of  species.  The 
greatest  part  of  them  had  truly  a  nobleness  and  an  equal 
ity  of  soul,  which  we  seldom  attain,  with  all  the  helps 
we  can  obtain  from  philosophy  and  religion.  They  were 
always  masters  of  themselves,  in  the  most  sudden  mis 
fortunes,  arid  the  least  alteration  could  not  be  perceived 
in  their  countenances.  A  prisoner  who  knew  in  what 
his  captivity  would  end,  or  what,  perhaps,  is  more  sur 
prising,  who  was  uncertain  of  his  fate,  did  not  lose  on 
this  account  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  sleep;  even  the  first 
emotions  did  not  find  them  at  a  fault. 

It  is  no  less  astonishing  to  see  men  whose  whole  out 
ward  appearance  proclaimed  nothing  but  barbarity,  be 
have  to  each  other  with  such  kindness  and  regard,  that 
are  not  perhaps  to  be  experienced  among"  the  most  civi 
lized  nations.  This  doubtless  proceeded  in  some  measure 
from  the  words  mine  and  thine  being  as  yet  unknown  to 
those  savages.  Those  cold  words,  as  St.  Chrysostom 
calls  them,  which,  extinguishing  in  our  hearts  the  fire  of 


NORTH  -AMERICAN    INDIANS.  75 

charity,  light  np  that  of  covetousness.  We  are  equally 
charmed  with  that  natural  and  unaffected  gravity  which 
reigned  in  all  their  behaviour,  in  all  their  actions,  in  the 
greatest  part  of  their  diversions,  as  likewise  with  the 
civility  and  deference  they  showed  to  their  equals,  and 
the  respect  of  the  young  pfople  to  the  aged  ;  and,  lastly, 
to  see  that  they  never  quarrelled  among  themselves  with 
those  indecent  expressions,  and  the  oaths  and  curses  so 
common  among  the  whites.  All  these  are  proofs  of  good 
sense  and  a  great  command  of  temper. 

The  Indians  have  been  frequently  misrepresented  by 
writers,  who  have  been  either  prejudiced  against  them 
from  some  impure  motives,  or  who  had  been  too  tran 
siently  resident  amongst  them,  to  ascertain  with  any  ac 
curacy  the  real  character  of  the  Indians  ;  for  the  Indians 
are  not  communicative  in  relation  to  their  national  peculi 
arities,  or  original  descent.  It  requires,  therefore,  a  good 
deal  of  familiar,  attentive,  and  unsuspecting  observation 
to  obtain  any  knowledge  respecting  them,  as  they  have 
neither  records  nor  oral  tradition  to  throw  any  degree  of 
satisfactory  light  on  their  character  and  descent. 

The  speculative  opinions  of  several  historians  who 
wrote  concerning  the 'religion  of  the  Indian  tribes  of 
America,  and  the  question,  whence  America  might  have 
been  peopled,  led  to  many  misrepresentations  of  the  re 
ligious  rites,  language,  and  customs  of  its  original  inhab 
itants.  They  discovered  affinities  which  existed  no 
where,  but  in  the  fanciful  invention  of  the  discoverers. 
Gomara,  Lerius,  and  Lescarbot  inferred,  from  some  re 
semblance  of  this  kind,  that  America  had  been  peopled 
by  the  Canaanites,  when  they  were  expelled  by  Joshua. 
The  celebrated  Grotius,  adopting  the  opinion  of  Martyr, 
imagined  that  Yucatan,  a  province  of  New  Spain,  was 
first  colonized  by  the  Ethiopians,  and  that  those  Ethio 
pians  were  Christians.  The  human  mind  derives  plea 
sure  from  paradox,  for  the  same  reason  that  it  delights  in 
wit.  Both  produce  new  and  surprising  combinations  ef 
thought,  and  the  judgment  being  overpowered  by  the 


76  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

fervours  of  imagination,  becomes  for  a  time  insensible  to 
their  extravagance. 

The  opinion  extensively  prevails,  that  the  North 
American  Indians  are  descendants  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
This  so  possessed  the  mind  of  Adair,  that,  although  he 
had  the  greatest  opportunity  of  obtaining  knowledge,  his 
book  is  comparatively  of  little  use.  We  are  constantly 
led  to  suspect  the  fidelity  of  his  statements,  because  his 
judgment  had  lost  its  equipoise,  and  he  saw  every  thing 
through  a  discoloured  medium. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  religious  man  not  to  take  partic 
ular  interest  in  the  history  of  the  Hebrews  ;  and  while 
he  reads  of  the  extermination  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel, 
when  the  blindfolded  tribes  were  torn  from  the  land  of 
their  prerogative,  his  soul  must  be  filled  with  compas 
sion  for  their  misfortunes.  Their  subsequent  history  is 
attended  with  such  impenetrable  darkness,  that  this 
sentiment  of  compassion  naturally  combines  with  curios 
ity,  to  penetrate  even  the  forests  of  the  western  continent, 
in  order  to  identify  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  This  has  ac 
tually  been  the  case,  for  the  idea  of  tracing  to  America 
the  long  lost  tribes  of  Israel  rose  before  the  imagination 
©f  many  with  captivating  splendour.  In  the  establish 
ment  however  of  this  theory,  the  judgments  of  those  who 
endeavoured  to  make  researches  this  way  were  so  much 
perverted,  that  resemblances  were  imagined  which  had  no 
existence  in  reality.*  The  affinity,  it  is  true,  of  languages 
tends  in  some  measure  to  point  out  the  connexion  of 
nations ;  but  this  depends  on  the  high  or  low  degree  of 
similarity  which  we  find  when  we  collate  the  one  lan 
guage  with  the  other.  In  the  Celtic  language,  for  ex 
ample,  we  find  several  words  which  bear  so  radical  re 
semblance  to  the  Indian,  especially  to  that  language 
which  is  spoken  by  the  Algonquins  :  but  hence,  it  would 
not  be  reasonable  to  conclude  a  consanguinity  between 
the  Irish  and  the  North  American  Indians.  It  is,  there- 

*  See  Jarvis  On  the  Religion  of  the  Indians. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  77 

fore,  on  the  resemblance  which  a  few  words  in  the  lan 
guages  of  the  Indians  of  North  America  bear  to  the  He 
brew,  that  some  authors  have  contended  with  a  great  deal 
of  confidence,  that  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel  are  the  red  men 
of  North  America. 

On  the  continent  of  America  three  radical  languages 
are  spoken  by  the  Indians,  exclusive  of  the  Karalit  or 
Esquimeaux.  Mr.  Hecke welder  denominates  them  the 
Iroquois,  the  Lenape,  and  the  Florid ian ;  the  Iroquois  is 
spoken  by  the  six  nations,  the  Wyandots  or  Hurons,  the 
Naudowessies,  the  Assiniboils,  and  other  tribes  beyond 
the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Lenape,  which  is  the  most  widely  extended  lan 
guage  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  was  spoken  by  the 
tribes  now  extinct,  who  formerly  inhabited  Nova  Scotia 
and  the  present  State  of  Maine,  the  Abenakis,  Micmacs, 
Cannibas,  Openangos,  Soccokis,  Etchemiris,  and  Souri- 
.  quois  ;  dialects  of  it  are  now  spoken  by  the  Minmis,  the 
Potanotamies,  Mississagoos,  and  Kickapoos,  the  Cones- 
togos,  Nariticokos,.Sriawanese,  and  Mohicans,  the  Algon- 
quins,  the  Knistewans,  and  Chippeways.  The  Floridian 
includes  the  languages  of  the  Creeks  or  Muscohgees, 
Chickesaas,  Choctaws,  Pascagoulas,  the  Cherokees,  Se- 
mlnoles,  and  several  others  in  the  southern  parts  of  Flo 
rida.  These  three  languages  are  primitive,  that  is  to  say, 
are  so  distantly  related,  as  to  have  no  perceivable  affinity. 
.  Seeing  therefore  that  there  are  three  primitive  lan 
guages  spoken  by  the  North  American  Indians,  which 
have  no  radical  connexion  the  one  with  the  other,  it 
would  be  absurd  to  countenance  for  a  moment  the  asser 
tion,  that  the  red  men  of  America  are  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel,  without  having  a  better  proof  than  a  similarity,  as 
we  have  already  mentioned,  between  a  few  Indian  and 
Hebrew  words.  The  distant  relation  itself  between  these 
three  primitive  languages  of  America  is  enough  to  over 
throw  the  argument ;  for,  if  the  Indians  are  the  descen 
dants  of  the  Hebrews,  it  would  certainly  follow  that  al 
most  all  the  dialects,  especially  the  three  primitive  Ian- 


78  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

guages,  would  not  only  bear  a  most  striking  resemblance 
to  the  Hebrew,  but  would  also  be  more  nearly  allied 
among  themselves.  Besides  there  is  one  striking  peculi 
arity  in  the  construction  of  American  languages,  which 
has  no  counterpart  in  the  Hebrew.  Instead  of  the  ordi 
nary  division  of  genders,  they  divide  them  into  animate 
and  inanimate. 

But  this  is  not  the  only  instance,  in  which  the  He 
brew  and  the  Indian  languages  differ  in  their  idioms. 
To  enumerate,  however,  all  the  idiomatical  discordances 
of  the  Indian  and  Hebrew  languages,  will  not  be  neces 
sary  on  the  present  occasion,  as-  we  shall  prove  in  the 
following  pages,  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  that 
the  Indians  are  descended  from  a  different  source.  Those, 
therefore,  who  con  tend  from  merely  a  slight  affinity  of 
languages,  that  they  have  discovered  the  long  lost  tribes 
of  Israel  on  the  western  continent,  might  as  well  say  that 
the  Arabians  and  Abyssinians  are  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel, 
for  their  languages  have  a  very  strong  affinity  with  the 
Hebrew.  Were  we  even  to  allow  the  affinity  of  lan 
guages  in  its  fullest  extent,  the  only  legitimate  inference 
would  be,  that  the  languages  of  America  are  of  Oriental 
origin,  and  consequently  that  America  was  peopled  from 
Asia. 

But  the  affinity  between  the  Hebrew  and  the  Indian 
languages  of  America,  is  so  slight  and  imperceptible  that 
we  could  scarcely  be  induced,  on  this  ground  alone,  to 
believe  even  the  Asiatic  origin  of  the  North  American 
Indians.  However  much  the  language  of  the  primitive 
inhabitants  of  the  western  continent  became  altered  by  the 
revolutions,  which  are  incident  to  communities  and  na^ 
tions,  it  is  not  to  be  presumed,  that  the  original  language 
was  totally  extinguished  ;  some  vestiges  would  still  re 
main,  as  a  monument  of  its  original  descent.  Pere 
Leveque,  who  paid  the  strictest  attention  to  the  national 
peculiarities  of  all  the  tribes  of  North  American  Indians, 
among  whom  he  had  a  chance  to  dwell  during  his  mis 
sionary  travels  in  North  America,  has  given  us  much 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  79 

useful  information  respecting  the  early  condition  of  the 
Aborigines  of  this  country.  Although  his  researches  are 
neither  so  extensive  nor  so  valuable  as  those  of  Charlevoix 
his  countrymen,  still,  it  would  appear  that  his  travels 
were  not  at  all  confined  to  the  French  Colony,  as  was 
generally  the  case  with  the  missionaries  of  Canada.' 
While  he  describes  the  red  man  in  his  original  state  as 
minutely  and  as  correctly  as  any  other  who  had  gone  be 
fore  him  or  come  after  him,  his  judgment  inclines  neither 
to  the  right,  nor  to  the  left,  as  he  had  but  one  object  in 
view,  which  was  a  fair  and  an  honest  statement  of  facts, 
as  may  easily  be  seen  from  his  candour  and  impartiality 
without  the  slightest  prejudice,  either  for  or  against  the 
race  of  people  whose  characteristic  he  endeavours  to  de 
lineate. 

"  Nothing  can  be  more  absurd,"*  says  our  author, 
li  than  to  believe  for  a  moment,  that  the  western  continent 
had  been  peopled  by  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel,  or  at  least 
that  the  present  Indians- of  America  are  the  lost  Israelites. 
Adair,  as  every  person  knows,  has  ^assumed  an  extraordi 
nary  and  singular  position  on  this  subject,  while  he  finds, 
or  rather  pretends  to  find,  .an  affinity  between  the  Jews 
and  the  American  Indians,  in  all  those  respects  which  can 
be  called  national.  This  author  is  said  to  have  lived 
forty  years  among  the  Aborigines  of  the  country,  which 
may  be  true  for  all  we  know,  but  it  is  certainly  true,  that 
few  or  none  have  gone  before,  or  come  after  him,  who 
witnessed  what  he  witnessed,  or  viewed  the  Indians  as 
he  viewed  them.  In  this  assertion,  all  those  who  are  in 
the  least  acquainted  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
red  men,  will,  no  doubt,  concur  with  me.  Is  it  not 
strange,  that,  after  discovering  the  Mosaic  law,  or  at  least 
the  leading  statutes  of  it,  he  had  not  also  observed  a  Sy 
nagogue  !  If  he  had  at  once  the  audacity  to  tell  us  that 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  Divine  Worship  with 

*  Pere  Leveque  sur  1'origine  des  Aborigenes  du  nouveau  monde,  p. 
58. 


80  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

them  on  the  Sabbath  day,  who  could  dare  deny  but  Adair 
made  out  his  point!  notwithstanding  this  deficiency,  our 
author's  book  is  furnished  with  sufficent  evidence  to 
show,  that  he  is  himself  a  most  superficial  observer,  or  a 
huge  impostor.  '  11  ne  lui  appartcnoit  que  de  con- 
aaitre  la  vcrite,  et  de  la  dire ;  s'il  etoit  fascine'  par 
V esprit  de  parti,  il  ne  devenoit  que  V  organe  deserreurs? 
What  influenced  Adair  to  lose  his  equilibrium  in  weigh 
ing  so  unfairly  his  observations  and  arguments,  we  cannot 
pretend  to  know.  This  author,  it  is  true,  stands  not  alone 
in  this  theory,  but  the  most  of  his  supporters  bear  witness 
to  him,  on  whose  system  they  have  generally  built  their 
arguments.  If  Julius  Caesar  had  been  a  lover  of  the 
Jews,  or  if  he  felt,  in  any  way,  interested  in  their  affairs 
he  could  equally  well  have  discovered  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel  among  the  ancient,  Gauls  and  Britons  in  his  Bel- 
lum  Gallicum.  But  Caesar  was  a  different  historian,  not 
only  from  Adair.  but  many  others  of  our  own  day,  whose 
religion  teaches  them  the  profession  of  truth  as  this  gen 
eral  was,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  candid  and  impartial 
historians  that  ever  w»ote.  With  regard,  then,  more  par 
ticularly  to  the  real  origin  of  the  North  American  Indians. 
I  have  only  to  say,  that  we  must  look  to  the  numerous 
tribes  scattered  over  the  dreary  regions  in  the  north-east 
parts  of  Asia,  as  their  progenitors.  And  if  it  be  said,  that 
the  lost  Israelites  might  have  wandered  thither,  and 
thence  have  migrated  to  America  by  Beering's  Straits, 
we  can  reply  that  the  Jewish  features,  so  peculiar  to  that 
nation,  the  Hebrew  language,  the  Jewish  religion,  and 
the  customs  of  the  Jews  have  never  been  traced  among 
the  Aborigines  of  America." 

Religion,  customs,  the  shape  and  size  of  the  body,  the 
tinge  of  skin,  and  the  features  of  the  visage  are,  as  well  as 
language,  indicative  of  the  original  connexion  of  nations. ' 
But  in  this  view  also,  the  relation  between  the  Indians 
and  tribes  of  Israel,  is  equally  distant,  as  will  be  seen 
when  we  delineate  the  red  Indian  in  that  original  state 
in  which  he  was  found  by  the  first  visiters  from  Europe. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


81 


By  the  discoveries  of  Captain  Cook  in  his  last  voyage,  it 
has  been  established  beyond  a  doubt,  that  at  Kamschatka, 
in  about  latitude  66°  north,  the  continents  of  Asia  and 
America  are  separated  by  a  strait  only  eighteen  miles 
wide,  and  that  the  inhabitants  on  each  continent  are 
similar,  and  frequently  pass  and  repass  in  their  canoes, 
from  the  one  continent  to  the  other.  It  is  also  certain, 
that,  during  the  winter  season,  Beering's  straits  are  frozen 
from  the  one  side  to  the  other.  Captain  Williamson, 
who  was  lieutenant  to  Cook  in  those  voyages,  has  also  as 
serted  that,  from,  the  middle  of  the  channel  between 
Kamschatka  and  America,  he  had  discovered  land  on 
either  side.  This  short  distance,  therefore,  he  says, 
should  account  for  the  peopling  of  America  from  the 
north-east  parts  of  Asia.  The  same  author  farther  as 
serts,  that  there  is  a  cluster  of  islands  interspersed  be- 
tvven  the  two  continents  ;  and  that  he  frequently  saw 
canoes  passing  from  one  island  to  the  other.  From  these 
circumstances  we  may  fairly  conclude  that  America  was 
peopled  from  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia  ;  and,  during  our 
inquiry,  we  shall  endeavour  to  *point  out  facts,  which 
tend  to  prove  the  particular  tribe  in  Asia,  from  whom 
the  North  American  Indians  are  directly  descended. 
The  Esquimeaux  on  the  coast  of  Labrador  are  evidently 
a  separate  species  of  men,  distinct  from  all  the  nations  of 
the  American  continent,  in  language,  disposition,  and 
habits  of  life ;  and  in  all  these  respects,  they  bear  a  near 
resemblance  to  the  Northern  Europeans.  Their  beards 
are  so  thick  and  large,  that  it  is  with  difficulty  the  fea 
tures  of  their  face  can  be  discovered,  while  all  the  other 
Indian  tribes  of  America  are  particularly  distinguished 
for  the  want  of  beards.  The  North  American  Indians  re 
semble  each  other,  not  only  in  mental  and  bodily  frame, 
but  generally  in  their  manners,  habits,  and  customs. 

The  Esquimeaux  are  a  very  diminutive  race  ;  but  the 
other  tribes  are  generally  tall,  athletic,  and  well  propor 
tioned.  It  is  believed  by  many  that  the  Esquimeaux  In 
dians  emigrated  from  the  north-west  parts  of  Europe.  In 


82  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

this  belief  we  are  confirmed  from  several  circumstances. 
Low  stature  and  long  beards  are  peculiar  to  some  coun 
tries  in  the  north-west  parts  of  Europe. 

As  early  as  the  ninth  century  the  Norwegians  discov 
ered  Greenland,  and  planted  colonies  there.  The  com 
munication  with  that  country,  after  a  long  interruption, 
was  renewed  in  the  twelfth  century.  Some  missionaries, 
prompted  by  zeal  for  propagating  the  Christian  faith,  ven 
tured  to  settle  in  this  frozen  region.  From  them  we  have 
learned  that  the  north-west  coast  of  Greenland  is  separa 
ted  from  America,  but  by  a  very  narrow  strait,  if  separa 
ted  at  all ;  and  that  the  Esquimeaux  of  America  perfect 
ly  resemble  the  Greenlanders  in  their  aspect,  dress,  mode 
of  living,  and  probably  language.  The  following  passage, 
which  we  have  quoted  from  Senor  Juan  Perez,  will  tend 
in  a  great  measure  to  identify  the  Esquimeaux  as  the 
descendants  of  the  Greenlanders.  Juari  Perez,  a  Spaniard, 
remained  for  several  years  in  Greenland  and  on  the  coasts 
of  Labrador,  as  missionary  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Christian  religion : 

"  Los  nativos  de  Greenland  y  los  Indies  de  Labrador 
parecen  los  mismos.  La  identidad  no  consiste  solamente 
en  la  forma  de  las  personas,  que  no  exceden  cinco  pies  de 
altura,  mas  tambien  en  la  complexion,  que  es  el  color 
amaril lo.  Los  Indies  de  Labrador  y  los  nati  vos  de  Green 
land  son  carianchos.  romos,  bezudos,  y  tengon  losojos  y  los 
cabellos  negros.  La  lengua  de  los  Esquimeaux  no  es  que 
un  dialecto  de  aquella  que  se  hablaen  Greenland.  Esta 
lengua  abunda  en  largas  pplisilabas.  Las  canoas  de  los 
dos  pueblos  son  construidas  de  la  misma  manera.  Adoran 
ambos  al  Grande  Espiritu  con  otros  inferioresque  residen 
en  todas  partes.  De  estas  y  otras  coincidencias  que  no 
es  posible  numener  al  presente,  son  convericido  que  la 
tierra  de  Labrador  habia  sido  problada  por  los  nativos  de 
Greenland,  antes  del  arribo  de  otras  naciones." 

The  inhabitants  of  Greenland,  says  Juan  Perez,  have 
a  striking  resemblance  to  the  Esquimeaux,  not  only  in 
person,  which  seldom  exceed  five  feet,  but  in  complex- 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  83 

ion,  which  is  yellow.  The  Esquimeaux  and  the  inhab 
itants  of  Greenland  have  broad  faces,  flat  noses,  thick  lips, 
with  black  eyes  and  hair.  The  language  of  the  Esqui-. 
meaux  is  no  other  than  a  dialect  of  that  language  which 
is  spoken  in  Greenland,  abounding  in  polysyllables  of 
great  length.  The  canoe  used  by  the  Esquimeaux  are 
exactly  built  of  the  same  materials,  and  in  the  same  form 
as  those  of  the  Greenlanders.  Both  these  people  have 
their  Great  Spirit,  as  well  as  several  other  inferior  ones, 
residing,  according  to  their  belief,  in  every  part  of  the 
country.  From  these  and  other  circumstances,  continues 
Juan  Perez,  I  am  convinced  that  the  Esquimeaux  are  the 
descendants  of  the  Greenlanders. 

The  coasts  of  Labrador,  on  the  Atlantic,  are  inhabited 
by  tribes  of  those  people,  who  have  been  called  Esqui 
meaux.  This  name  has  been  given  them  by  the  tribes 
of  American  Indians,  from  whom  they  seem  to  be  a  peo 
ple  entirely  different.  The  name  signifies  eaters  of  raw 
flesh,  which  the  Esquimeaux  are  observed  to  do  frequent 
ly.  These  tribes  are  said  to  be  distinguished  from  the 
other  American  Indians  by  many  characteristics.  Their 
colour  is  not  that  of  copper,  but  the  tawny  brown  which 
distinguishes  the  inhabitants  of  the  more  nothern  parts  of 
Europe :  they  all  have  beards,  and  some  of  them  have 
been  observed  with  hair  of  different  colours,  some  fair 
and  others  red.  These  marks  by  which  they  are  so  evi 
dently  distinguished  from  the  American  Indians,  have  in 
clined  several  philosophers  to  believe  that  they  are  of 
European  descent;  their  colour  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  north  of  Europe.  Their  red  and  fair 
hair,  found  in  the  north  of  Europe,  more  frequently  than, 
in  any  other  part  of  the  world  ;  but,  above  all,  their  lan 
guage,  which  is  said  to  be  a  dialect  of  that  spoken  in  East 
Greenland,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  believed  to  have 
emigrated  from  Europe,  seem  to  give  this  conjecture  a 
considerable  appearance  of  probability  ;  besides,  their  re 
ligious  notions  are  exactly  the  same  as  those  of  the  Green- 
landers.  On  the  whole,  it  appears  rational  to  believe, 


£  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

that  the  progenitors  of  all  the  American  nations  from 
Cape  Horn  to  the  southern  limits  of  Labrador,  from  the 
similarity  of  their  aspect,  colour,  language,  and  customs, 
migrated  from  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia  ;  and  that  the 
nations  that  inhabit  Labrador,  Esquimeaux,  and  the  parts 
adjacent,  from  their  unlikeness  to  the  rest  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  and  their  resemblance  to  the  northern  Europeans, 
came  over  from  the  north-west  parts  of  Europe. 

Such  are  the  most  rational  conjectures  which  we  have 
been  able  to  form  respecting  the  origin  of  the  Esqui 
meaux,  who  are  evidently  a  different  race  from  all  the 
other  North  American  Indians.  It  remains  now  to  trace 
the  descent  of  these  other  tribes,  who  are  scattered  over 
that  country  which  extends  from  Cape  Horn  to  the  south 
ern  limits  of  Labrador. 

We  shall  here  quote  the  folio  wing  passage  from  Brere- 
wood,  a  very  learned  author,  who  paid  much  attention  to 
the  present  subject,  and  lived  in  the  time  of  Q,ueen  Eliza 
beth. 

"  It  is  very  likely  that  America  received  her  first  in 
habitants  from  the  east  border  of  Asia;  so  it  is  altogeth 
er  unlike  that  it  received  them  from  any  othor  part  of  all 
that  border,  save  from  Tartary.  Because,  in  America 
there  is  not  to  be  discerned  any  token  or  indication  at  all 
of  the  arts  or  industry  of  China,  or  India,  or  Cataia,  or 
any  other  civil  region,  along  all'that  border  of  Asia :  but, 
in  their  gross  ignorance  of  letters  and  of  arts,  in  their 
idolatry,  and  the  specialities  of  it,  in  their  incivility,  and 
many  barbarous  properties,  they  resemble  the  old  and 
rude  Tartars  above  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Which 
opinion  of  mine,  touching  the  Americans  descending  from 
the  Tartars,  rather  than  from  any  other  nation  in  that 
border  of  Asia,  after  the  near  vicinity  of  Asia  to  America, 
this  reason,  above  all  others,  may  best  establish  and  per 
suade  ;  because  it  is  certain,  that  that  north-east  part  of 
Asia  possessed  by  the  Tartars,  is,  if  not  continent  with 
the  west  side  of  America,  which  yet  remaineth  somewhat 
doubtful,  certainly,  and  without  all  doubt,  the  least  dis- 


NORTH    AMERICAN   INDIANS.  8& 

joined  by  sea,  of  all  that  coast  of  Asia,  for  that  those  parts 
of  Asia'  and  America  are  continent  the  one  with  the 
other,  or,  at  most,  disjoined  but  by  some  narrow  channel 
of  the  ocean,  the  ravenous  and  harmful  beasts,  wherewith 
America  is  stored,  as  Bears,  Lions,  Tigers,  Wolves, 
Foxes,  &c.  (which,  then,  as  is  likely,  men  would  never 
to  their  own  harm  transport  out  of  the  one  continent 
to  the  other)  may  import.  For  from  Noah's  ark,  which 
rested  after  the  deluge,  in  Asia,  all  those  beasts  must  of 
necessity  fetch  their  beginning,  seeing  they  would  not 
proceed  by  the  course  of  nature,  as  the  imperfect  sort  of 
living  creatures  do,  of  putrefaction  :  or  if  they  might  have 
putrefaction  for  their  parentage,  or  receive  their  original 
by  any  other  sort  of  generation  of  the  earth,  without  a 
special  procreation  of  their  own  kind,  then  I  see  no  ne 
cessity  why  they  should,  by  God's  special  appointment, 
be  so  carefully  preserved  in  Noah's  ark  (as  they  were)  in 
time  of  the  deluge.  Wherefore,  seeing  it  is  certain,  that 
those  ravenous  beasts  of  America,  are  the  progeny  of  those 
of  the  same  kind  in  Asia,  and  that  men,  as  is  likely,  con 
veyed  them  not  (to  their  own  prejudice)  from  'the  one 
continent  to  the  other,  it  carrieth  a  great  likelihood  and 
appearance  of  truth,  that  if  they  join  not  together,  yet  are 
they  near  neighbours,  and  but  little  disjoined  the  one 
from  the  other,  for  even  to  this  day,  in  the  »isles  of  Cuba, 
Jamaica,  Hispaniola,  Burichena,  and  all  the  rest,  which 
are  so  far  removed  from  the  firm  land,  that  these  beasts 
cannot  swim  from  it  to  them,  the  Spaniards  record,  that 
none  of  these  are  found."* 

The  potrait  painter,  Mr.  Smibert,  who  accompanied 
Dr.  Berkeley,  then  Dean  of  Derry,  and  afterwards  Bish 
op  of  Cloyne,  from  Italy  to  America  in  1728,  was  employ 
ed  by  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  while  at  Florence,  to 
paint  two  or  three  Siberian  Tartars,  presented  to  the 
Duke  by  the  Czar  of  Russia.  This  Mr.  Smibert,  upon 
his  landing  at  Narraganset  Bay  with  Dr.  Berkeley,  in- 

*  Brerewood's  Enquiries,  p.  117,  118. 
8 


86 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


stantly  recognized  the  Indians  here  to  be  the  same  people 
as  the  Siberian  Tartars  whose  pictures  he  had  taken.* 

The  learned  traveller  Mr.  John  Bell  of  Antermony 
makes  the  following  observation.  "  Prom  all  the  accounts 
I  have  heard  and  read  of  the  natives  of  Canada,  there  is 
no  nation  in  the  world  which  they  so  much  resemble  as 
the  Tongusians.  The  distance  between  them  is  not  so 
great  as  is  commonly  imagined." 

Great  question,  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  has  arisen  whence 
came  those  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  America.  Discover 
ies,  long  ago  made,  were  sufficient  to  show  that  a  passage 
from  Europe  to  America  was  always  practicable,  even  to 
the  imperfect  navigation  of  ancient  times.  In  going  from 
Norway  to  Iceland,  from  Iceland  to  Greenland,  from 
Greenland  to  Labrador,  the  first  traject  is  the  widest ;  and 
this  having  been  practised  from  the  earliest  times  of  which 
we  have  any  account  of  that  part  of  the  earth,  it  is  not  diffi 
cult  to  suppose  that  the  subsequent  trajects  may  have  been 
sometimes  passed.  Again  the  late  discoveries  by  Captain 
Cook,  coasting  from  Kamschatka  to  California,  have  pro 
ved  that,  if  the  two  continents  of  Asia  and  America  be 
separated  at  all,  it  is  only  by  a  narrow  strait.  So  that 
from  this  side  also,  inhabitants  may  have  passed  into 
America;  and  the  resemblance  between  the  Indians  of 
America  and  the  eastern  inhabitants  of  Asia,  would  in 
duce  us  to  conjecture,  that  the  former  are  the  descend 
ants  of  the  latter,  or  the  latter  of  the  former  ;  excepting 
indeed  the  Esquimeaux,  who,  from  the  same  circum 
stance  of  resemblance,  and  from  the  identity  of  language, 
must  be  derived  from  the  Greenlanders,  and  these  pro 
bably  from  some  of  the  nothern  parts  of  the  old  conti 
nent." 

Dr.  Swinton  in  his  learned  contributions  to  ancient 
universal  history,  after  having  examined  the  theory  by 

*  "  The  United  States  elevated  to  Glory  and  Honour."  A  Sermon 
preaehed  before  his  excellency  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Esq.  L.  L.  D.  &c. 
fee.  By  Ezra  Stiles,  D.  D.  L.  L.  D.,  President  of  Yale  College,  p.  16 
md  17. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  87 

which  the  Phenicians  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  first 
colony  that  peopled  America,  observes.  "  that,  therefore 
the  Americans,  in  general,  were  descended  from  some 
people,  who  inhabited  a  country  not  so  far  distant  from 
them  as  Egypt  and  Phenicia,  onr  readers  will,  as  we  ap 
prehend,  readily  admit.  Now,  no  country  can  be  pitch 
ed  upon  so  proper  and  convenient  for  this  purpose  as  the 
north  eastern  part  of  Asia,  particularly  great  Tartary, 
Siberia,  and  more  especially  the  Peninsula  of  Kam- 
schatka.  That  probably  was  the  tract  through  which 
many  Tartarian  colonies  passed  into  America  and  peo- 
pled'the  most  considerable  part  of  the  New  World." 

The  most  unequivocal  mode,  therefore,  as  we  have  al 
ready  said,  of  throwing  any  satisfactory  light  on  this  ob 
scure  subject,  is  to  compare  the  personal  appearance,  reli 
gion,  and  the  manners,  habits,  and  customs  of  Indians, 
with  those  of  Asiatic  nations ;  and  when  we  find  a  stri 
king  similarity  between  them,  we  may  fairly  conclude 
that  the  North  American  Indians  are  connected  with 
them,  and  that  they  are  the  descendants  of  those  to  whom 
they  bear  the  greatest  resemblance. 


PERSONS,  FEATURES,  AND  COLOUR  OF  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

The  North  American  Indians  have  a  striking  simi 
larity  in  their  external  appearance.  Their  bodies  though 
slight,  are  strong,  tall,  and  straight,  but  this  strength  is  ra 
ther  suited  to  endure  the  exercise  of  the  chase,  than  hard 
labour,  by  which  they  are  soon  consumed.  In  some  na 
tions  it  is  riot  uncommon  to  see  the  middle  stature;  the 
smallest  degree  of  deformity,  however,  is  rarely  seen 
among  any  of  them.  The  strength  of  their  bodies,  the 
extraordinary  suppleness  of  thei/  limbs,  and  the  height 
which  they  attain  may  fairly  be  attributed  to  liberty  and 


88  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

exercise  to  which  the  children  are  accustomed  from  their 
earliest  youth. 

There  is  also  a  conformation  of  features  as  well  as 
person,  which,  more  or  less  characterises  them  all.  The 
face  is  round,  and  farther  removed  than  that  of  any  other 
people  from  an  oval  shape.  Theireheek-bones  are  a  little 
raised,  for  this  peculiarity  the  men  are  more  distinguish 
ed  than  the  women.  Their  forehead  is  small :  the  extre 
mity  of  the  ears  far  from  the  face  ;  their  lips  thick  ;  their 
noses  are  generally  broad,  with  wide  nostrils ;  their  eyes 
are  black,  or  of  a  chestnut  colour,  small,  but  capable  ot 
discerning  objects  at  a  great  distance ;  their  hair  is  thick 
and  strong,  without  any  tendency  to  curl ;  their  ears 
large ;  their  legs  well  formed,  and  the  feet  small.  They 
have  little  or  no  beards  on  the  face,  which  is  not  a  natu 
ral  deficiency,  as  some  travellers  have  asserted  but  an 
artificial  deprivation,  for  they  carefully  eradicate  the  hair 
from  every  part  of  the  body,  except  the  head,  and  they 
confined  that;  in  ancient  times,  to  a  tuft  on  the  top. 

One  great  peculiarity  in  the  native  Americans  is  their 
colour,  and  the  identity  of  it  throughout  the  whole  ex 
tent  of  the  continent,  except  the  coasts  of  Labrador,  as  we 
have  already  mentioned.  Their  colour  is  that  of  copper; 
a  colour  which,  as  has  been  frequently  observed,  is  pecu 
liar  to  the  Americans.  "  They  are  all,"  says  Chevalier 
Pinto,  "  of  a  copper  colour,  with  some  diversity  of  shade, 
not  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from  the  equator,  but 
according  to  the  degree  of  the  elevation  of  the  country  in 
which  they  reside.  Those  who  live  in  a  high  country 
are  fairer  than  those  in  the  marshy  low  lands  on  the 
coast."  It  is  said,  however,  and  it  is  probable  enough, 
that  two  small  tribes  have  been  lately  discovered  in 
Mexico,  who  differ  considerably  from  all  the  other  In 
dian  nations  in  colour  and  mode  of  living.  We  there 
fore,  quote  the  following  article  from  the  Western  Dem 
ocrat  : 

"It  is  a  fact  not  generally  known,  that  there  do  exist 
in  the  far  west  at  least  two  small  tribes  or  bands  of  white 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


89 


people.  One  of  these  bands  is  called  Mawkeys.  They 
reside  in  Mexico  on  the  south-west  side  of  the  rocky 
mountains,  and  between  300  and  500  miles  from  Santa 
Fe,  towards  California,  and  in  a  valley  which  makes  a 
deep  notch  into  the  mountain,  surrounded  by  high  and 
impassible  ridges,  and  which  can  only  be  entered  by  a 
narrow  pass  from  the  south-west.  They  are  represented 
by  trappers  and  hunters  of  the  west,  known  to  th'e  writer 
of  this  to  be  men  of  veracity,  as  an  innocent  and  inoffen 
sive  people,  who  live  by  agriculture,  while  they  also 
raise  a  great  number  of  horses  and  mules,  both  of  which 
are  used  by  them  for  food.  They  cultivate  maize,  pump 
kins,  and  beans  in  large  quantities.  These  people  are 
frequently  depredated  upon  by  their  more  warlike  red 
neighbours,  to  whom  they  submit  without  resorting  to 
deadly  weapons  in  order  to  repel  them.  Not  far  distant 
from  the  Mawkeys,  and  in  the  same  range  of  country,  is 
another  band  of  the  same  description,  called  Nabbehoes, 
a  description  of  either  of  these  tribes  will  answer  for 
both.  They  have  been  described  to  the  writer  by  two 
men  in  whose  veracity  the  fullestconfidence  may  be  pla 
ced  :  they  say  the  men  are  of  the  common  stature,  with 
light  flaxen  hair,  light  blue  eyes,  and  that  their  skin  is 
of  the  most  delicate  whiteness.  One  of  my  informants, 
who  saw  seven  of  these  people  at  Santa  Fe  in  1830,  in 
describing  the  Mawkeys  says,  *  they  are  as  much  whiter 
than  I  am  whiter  than  the  darkest  Indian  in  the  Creek 
nation,'  and  my  informant  was  of  as  orood  a  complexion 
as  white  men  generally  are.  A  trapper  on  one  occasion 
in  a  wandering  excursion,  arrived  at  a  village  of  the 
Mawkeys.  He  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  a  pair  of  belt  pis 
tols,  knife  and  tomahawk ;  all  of  which  were  new  to 
them,  and  appeared  to  excite  their  wonder  and  surprise. 
After  conversing  sonic  lime  by  signs,  he  fired  one  of  the 
pistols,  when  the  whole  group  around  him  instantly  fell  to 
the  ground  in  ihe  utmost  consternation.  They  entreated 
lum  not  to  hurt  them,  and  showed  in  various  ways  that 
8* 


90  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

they  thought  him  a  supernatural  being1.     He  saw  vast 
number  of  horses  and  mules  about  the  village." 

Being  fully  convinced  that  America  as  well  as  the  old 
continent  had  been  peopled  by  different  races,  and  at 
different  times,  we  hesitate  not  a  moment  to  believe  that 
tribes  of  this  description  exist  in  the  west ;  neither  do  we 
doubt  but  several  more  could  be  discovered  who  would 
exhibit  a  higher  degree  of  civilization,  than  has  been  wit 
nessed  among  the  red  Indians.  Asia,  no  doubt,  contri 
buted  at  different  periods  to  the  peopling  of  America  with 
tribes  of  different  degrees  of  civilization.  The  Tartars, 
Siberians  and  Kamschadales;  are  of  all  the  Asiatic  nations 
with  whom  travellers  are  acquainted,  those  who  bear  the 
greatest  resemblance  to  the  North  American  Indians,  not 
only  in  their  manners  and  customs,  but  also  in  their  fea 
tures  and  complexion.  The  Tartars  have  always  been 
known  as  a  race  whose  disposition  led  them  to  rove  and 
wander  in  quest  of  conquest  and  plunder.  While  the 
present  Indians  can  be  identified  as  the  descendants  of 
the  Tartars  or  Siberians,  and  when  it  can  be  proved  be 
yond  a  doubt  that  America  was  inhabited  by  a  more  civi 
lized  people  than  the  present,  it  may  fairly  be  conjectured 
that  the  original  and  more  civilized  inhabitants  were  ex 
terminated  by  some  great  revolution,  which  had,  very 
probably,  been  effected  by  a  Tartar  invasion,  similar  to 
that  which  under  Gengis  Khan  devastated  the  Chinese 
empire,  and  to  that  also  which  overwhelmed  the  Roman 
empire.  But  as  we  shall  hereafter  have  a  more  favour 
able  opportunity  of  discussing  this  subject  in  its  proper 
place,  we  shall  now  pass  over  into  Asia,  in  order  to  show 
how  far  the  persons,  features,  and  complexion  of  some 
Asiatic  tribes  coincide  with  those  of  the  North  American 
Indians. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  91 


PERSONS,  FEATURES,  AND  COMPLEXION  OF  THE 
TONGUSI  OF  SIBERIA,  IN  ASIA. 

"  I  Tongusi,"  says  the  learned  Padre  Santini,  a  native  of 
Italy,  and  a  missionary  in  Chinese  Tartary  and  Siberia, 
"  sorio  generalmente,  alti,  fortiflessibili  eben  stretti;  cor- 
rono  con  tanta  velocita,  che  li  ho  veduto  sovente  volte 
sopragiungere  i  piu  veloci  animali  della  foresta.  La  cor- 
pulenza  e  la  deformita  di  porsona  sono  vizii,  che  si  vedo- 
no  rarissime  volte  fra  questa  gente.  perche  dalla  loro  gio- 
ventu  si  avvezzano  alia  caccia  e  alia  guerra." 

Here  we  are  told  by  Santini,  that  the  Tongusi  are  gene 
rally  tall,  athletic,  and  straight;  that  they  run  with  such 
velocity  that  he  frequently  saw  them  overtake  the  swift 
est  animal  in  the  forest.  Corpulency  and  deformity  of 
person,  he  says,  are  blemishes  which  are  seldom  seen 
among  them,  because  from  their  youth  they  are  trained 
to  the  chase  and  war. 

In  speaking  of  the  Coriacks  and  Kamschadales,  Santini 
gives  us  the  following  description  : 

"I  Coriacki  di  Siberia,  I  Tongusi  e  i  Kamschadali  han- 
no,  mi  sembra,  la  medesima  origine  ;  poiche,  sebbene  le 
loro  lingue  nori  sono  simili  intieramente,  nulladimeno 
hanno  un  legamento  radicale,  che  e  si  chiara,  che  bisogna 
chetutte  le  tre  siano  stato  le  figlie  della  medesima  madre. 
La  somiglianza  della  figura  del  eorpo  e  della  fatezza  del 
viso,  e  tanto  evidente,  che  1'identita  di  stirpe  non  si  puo 
dubitare,  come  si  vedra  adesso.  II  viso  .e  rotundo,  le 
mascelle  alzate,  i  labri  grassi,  gli  occhi  picoli  e  neri,  la 
fronte  non  e  grande;  1'orechi  son  grandi,  i  denti  bianchi 
e  i  capelli  son  neri.  Gli  Indiani  dell'  America  setten- 
trionale,  che  aveva  veduto  a  Q,uebec  1'anno  1748  sono 
della  stessa  stirpe  perche  hanno  il  medesimo  colore,  viso 
e  iloro  costumi,  lingua  ereligione  sono  assai  somigliantL" 

The  Coriacks,  Tongusi,  and  Kamschadales,  says  San 
tini,  it  seems  to  me,  have  had  the  same  origin  ;  for,  al- 


92 


ORJGIN    OF    THE 


though  their  languages  are  not  altogether  the  same,  still 
their  connexion  is  so  radical  that  they  must  be  mediately 
or  immediately,  the  daughters  of  the  same  mother.  The 
similarity  of  person  and  visage  is  so  striking,  that  the 
identity  of  person  cannot  be  doubted.  Their  faces  are 
round,  the  cheek  bones  high,  the  lips  thick,  the  eyes 
small  and  black,  the  forehead  small,  the  ears  large,  the 
teeth  white,  and  the  hair  black. 

The  Indians  of  North  America,  (the  same  author  con 
tinues),  whom  I  saw  at  Quebec  in  1748,  must  be  of  the 
same  origin  as  the  Asiatic  tribes  I  have  now  described  : 
they  have  the  same  complexion  and  visage;  and  their 
customs,  religion,  and  language  are  also  very  similar. 

Of  this  resemblance  in  external  appearance  we  are  ful 
ly  convinced  ;  for,  in  1826,  two  young  princes  of  the 
Tongusi  tribe  were  taken  to  Rome  by  two  Jesuits,  who 
had  converted  them  to  the  Christian  faith  in  their  native 
country.  Their  complexion,  we  must  acknowledge,  was 
fairer  than  that  of  the  Indians,  but,  in  every  other  respect, 
there  Was  a  singular  coincidence.  The  diligent  antiqua 
ry,  Count  Rosetti,  who  travelled,  some  years  since,  in 
the  United  States,  was  so  perfectly  satisfied  with  their 
identity,  that  he  published,  on  the  arrival  of  the  young 
princes  at  Rome,  an  able  article  for  the  Society  of  Anti 
quaries,  proving  the  Asiatic  origin  of  the  North  American 
Indians.  To  confirm  his  assertions,  he  brought  before 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  the  two  Asiatic  princes  and  an 
Indian  who  had  accompanied  him  from  America  to  Italy. 
During  this  inquiry,  some  of  the  most  literary  men  in 
Italy  were  present,  and  among  them  we  observed  two  or 
three  foreign  ambassadors.  The  sameness  of  people  was 
at  once  acknowledged  by  the  society,  not  only  on  account 
of  their  similarity  in  external  appearance,  but  the  affinity 
of  languages,  and  the  agreement  of  manners,  habits,  and 
customs,  as  was  satisfactorily  proved  from  the  researches 
of  Count  Rosetti,  and  the  Jesuit  missionaries  who  had  ar 
rived  in  Italy  from  Siberia  in  Asia. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


93 


PARTICULARITIES  OF  THE  INDIAN  LANGUAGES. 

Although  it  is  generally  allowed  that  all  the  dialects 
which  are  spoken  in  North  America,  are  derived  from  the 
three  primitive  languages  which  we  mentioned  above, 
still  it  does  not  follow  that  these  three  are  original,  or  of 
the  first  institution  of  languages.  The  discourse  of  the 
Indian  is  so  marked  with  those  figurative  expressions,  for 
which  some  languages  spoken  in  the  north-east  parts  of 
Asia  are  particularly  noted.  Upon  this  ground  alone 
some  persons  stood  forward  to  derive  the  origin  of  the 
North  American  Indians  from  Asia,  and  this  clue  should 
be  sufficient  without  any  other  proof  to  satisfy  the  philo 
sophic  mind,  in  the  absence  of  a  surer  guide.  The  Hu 
ron  language  has  a  copiousness,  an  energy,  and  a  sublim 
ity  perhaps  not  to  be  found  united  in  any  of  the  finest 
languages  that  we  know.  It  has  frequently  been  asser 
ted,  that  those,  whose  native  tongue  it  is,  are  endowed 
with  an  elevation  of  soul,  which  agrees  with  the  majesty 
of  their  language.  Some  have  fancied  they  found  in  it 
some  similitude  with  the  Hebrew :  others  have  said  that 
it  had  the  same  origin  as  the  Greek  ;  but  nothing  could 
be  more  trifling  than  the  proofs  they  bring  forward. 
Gabriel  Saghard  imagined  he  had  made  wonderful  dis 
coveries  in  his  vocabulary ;  James  Cartier  and  Baron  de 
la  Hontan  were  equally  enthusiastic  in  their  researches. 
These  three  authors  took  at  random  some  terms,  some  of 
which  were  Huron  and  others  Algonquin,  signifying 
quite  different  from  what  they  asserted.  They  pretended 
from  a  similarity  of  sound  in  a  few  words,  to  have  dis- 
coverecl  a  radical  connexion  between  the  Indian  languages 
and  the  Hebrew. 

The  Algonquin  language  has  not  so  much  force  as  the 
Huron^  but  it  has  more  sweetness  and  elegance,  and 
may  with  great  propriety  be  denominated  the  Italian  of 
the  western  continent  ;  for  it  abounds  with  vowels, 
which  renders  it  soft,  musical,  and  harmonious.  Both 


M4, 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


the  Algonquin  and  the  Huron  have  a  richness  of  expres 
sion,  a  variety  of  turns,  a  propriety  of  terms,  and  a  regu 
larity  which  seldom  prevails  in  some  of  the  more  cultiva 
ted  languages  of  Europe. 

In  the  Huron  all  is  conjugated  ;  a  certain  device,  which 
cannot  be  well  explained,  distinguishes  the  verbs,  the 
nouns,  the  pronouns,  the  adverbs,  &c.  The  simple  verbs 
have  a  double  conjugation,  one  absolute,  and  the  other 
reciprocal  :  the  third  persons  have  the  two  genders,  for 
there  are  but  two  in  these  languages  ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
noble  and  the  ignoble  gender.  As  to  the  number  and 
tenses,  they  have  the  same  differences,  as  the  Greek 
and  some  languages  spoken  in  the  north-east  of  Asia;  for 
instance,  to  relate  travels,  they  express  themselves  differ 
ently  according  as  it  was  by  land  or  water.  The  verbs 
active  multiply  as  often  as  there  are  things^  which  fall 
under  action  j  as  the  verb  which  signifies  to  eat  vanes  as 
there  are  things  to  eat.  The  action  is  expressed  differ 
ently  in  respect  to  any  thing  that  has  life,  and  an  inani 
mate  thing  :  thus,  to  see  a  'man,  and  to  see  a  stone,  are 
two  different  verbs  ;  to  make  use  of  a  thing  that  belongs 
to  him  who  uses  it,  or  to  him  to  whom  we  speak,  are  also 
two  different  verbs. 

It  may  be  said,  and  it  is  certainly  true,  that  these  lan 
guages  from  their  richness  and  variety  are  attended  with 
considerable  difficuly  in  learning  them,  and  it  is  no  less 
certain  that  their  poverty  and  barrenness,  on  the  other 
hand,  render  them  equally  so.  When  we  speak  of  their 
poverty  and  barrenness,  we  must  not  be  understood  as 
alluding  to  the  sterility  of  the  languages ;  for  the  richness 
or  poverty  of  a  language  depends  on  the  knowledge  or  ig 
norance  of  the  people  who  speak  it.  The  Indians,  for  in 
stance,  seldom  gave  names  to  things  which  they  did  not 
use,  or  which  did  not  fall  under  their  senses,  so  that  when 
Europeans  conversed  with  them  on  subjects  with  which 
they  were  unacquainted,  they  were  naturally  in  want  of 
terms  to  express  their  ideas.  Even  the  refined  languages 
of  Greece  and  Rome,  when  we  speak  of  modern  inven- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  95 

tions  and  things  which  were  not  known  in  ancient  times, 
are  labouring  under  the  same  disadvantage  ;  still  they  are 

11  not  to  be  pronounced  as  barren,  for  it  is  not  to  be  expect 

ed  that  man  is  to  give  names  to  things  which  he  neither 
saw  nor  heard.  In  sneaking  to  an  Indian  in  his  savage 
state,  concerning  religious  worship,  Heaven  and  the 
Deity ;  about  virtues,  vices,  and  the  cultivation  of  the 
arts,  or  other  subjects  of  our  common  conversation, 
nothing  could  be  expected  but  confused  ideas  and  such  a 

;i  vacuity  in  his  language  as  would  require  circumlocutions 

in  order  to  throw  any  information  within  the  compass  of 
his  understanding.  Such,  then,  is  the  barrenness  of  the 
Indian  languages,  but  as  far  as  they  have  been  cultivated, 
they  are  found  to  be  not  only  rich  in  expressions  but  full 
of  harmony  and  melody.  Travellers  have  differed  in 
giving  names  to  the  three  primitive  languages  which  are 
spoken  in  North  America ;  they  generally  go,  however, 
under  the  names  of  the  Siouxs,  the  Huron  and  the  Al 
gonquin.  That  of  the  Hurons  is  more  copious  and 
better  cultivated  than  those  spoken  by  the  Algonquins 
and  Siouxs,  by  reason  of  their  having  attained  a  higher  de 
gree  of  civilization  ;  for  the  Hurons  have  always  applied 
themselves,  more  than  any  other  tribe,  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  land.  They  have  also  extended  themselves  much 
less,  which  has  produced  two  effects.  In  the  first  place, 
they  are  better  settled,  better  lodged,  and  better  fortified. 
Under  these  circumstances  they  could  more  easily  culti 
vate  the  arts,  and  form,  fixed  rules  for  their  govern 
ment. 

These  would  inevitably  be  the  means  of  supplying 
their  language  with  terms  which,  otherwise,  would  never 
have  been  introduced.  In  the  second  place,  tfiey  became 
more  industrious,  more  dexterous  in  managing  their 
affairs ;  these  improvements  cannot  be  attributed  but  to 
a  spirit  of  society,  which  they  have  preserved  better  than 
others.  Notwithstanding  the  difference  which  evidently 
exists  between  these  three  primitive  languages,  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  a  radical  connexion  exists,  which  is  not 


96  OillGIN    OF   THE 

easily  perceived  but  by  those  who  are  well  versed  in 
them. 

Although  we  are  fully  satisfied  from  several  other  cir- 
circumstances,  as  well  as  the  affinity  of  languages,  that 
the  North  American  Indians  are  descended  from  the 
north-east  parts  of  Asia,  still  we  do  not  at  all  imagine  that 
they  are  descendants  of  one  and  the  same  Asiatic  tribe 
who  spoke  the  same  language.  It  may  appear  singular 
that  there  should  exist  such  a  dissimilarity  in  the  lan 
guages  which  the  north-east  Asiatics  carried  with  them 
to  America;  but  the  surprise  will  at  once  vanish  when 
we  consider  that  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia  had  been 
peopled  by  different  races  of  men  from  different  parts 
of  Asia.  The  Highlanders  of  Scotland,  it  is  well  known, 
are  of  a  different  origin  with  their  more  southern  neigh 
bours  ;  and  their  language,  which  is  likewise  radically 
different,  they  have  preserved  in  its  purity,  notwithstand 
ing  their  union  by  local  situation  and  intermarriages. 
In  every  part  of  the  new  world  where  these  Highlanders 
have  made  settlements,  the  Gaelic  is  spoken  as  purely  al 
most  as  it  came  from  the  lips  of  Ossian  ;  under  similar 
circumstances,  therefore,  the  Indians  have  been  able  to 
retain  the  languages  of  their  respective  progenitors.  The 
same  can  be  said  of  the  Irish,  Germans,  and  Dutch  who 
have  emigrated  to  America.  It  is  not  then  to  be  wonder 
ed  at,  that  there  should  exist  among  the  Indians  three 
primitive  languages,  which  are  very  distantly  connected, 
although  they  all  came  latterly  from  the  north-east  parts 
of  Asia. 

Here  we  may  quote  the  following  from  the  learned  re 
searches  of  Mr.  Du  Ponceau,  who,  in  speaking  of  the  In 
dian  languages,  says  ;  "  If  I  have  shown  it  to  be,  at  least, 
sufficiently  probable,  that  Poly  synthetic  forms  are  the 
general  characteristic  of  the  American  Indian  languages, 
I  need  only  refer  to  Mr.  Heckewelder's  correspondence,  to 
prove  that  those  forms,  as  exemplified  by  him  in  the 
Delaware,  are  such  as  I  have  described  them  ;  that  they 
are  rich,  copious,  expressive,  and,  particularly,  that  the 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  97 

greatest  order,  method,  and  analogy  reign  through  them, 
To  endeavour  to  give  better  proof  of  this  fact,  than  those 
which  that  learned  gentleman  has  given,  would  be  a 
waste  of  labour  and  time.  Indeed  from  the  view  which 
he  offers  of  the  Lenni-Lenape  idiom,  it  would  rather  ap 
pear  to  have  been  formed  by  philsophers  in  their  closets, 
than  by  savages  in  the  wilderness.  If  it  should  be  asked 
how  this  can  have  happened,  I  can  only  answer,  that  I 
have  been  ordered  to  collect  and  ascertain  facts,  not  to 
build  theories.  There  remains  a  great  deal  yet  to  be  as 
certained,  before  we  can  venture  to  search  into  remote 
causes." 

With  regard  to  the  Polysynthetic  form  or  construction, 
the  same  author  thus  explains  it. 

"  The  Polysynthetic  construction  is  that  in  which  the 
greatest  number  of  ideas  are  comprised  in  the  least  num 
ber  of  words.  This  is  done  principally  in  two  ways.  1. 
By  a  mode  of  compounding  locutions,  which  is  not  con 
fined  to  joining  words  together,  as  in  the  Greek,  or 
varying  the  inflection  or  termination  of  a  radical  word  as 
in  most  European  languages,  but  by  interweaving  to 
gether  the  most  significant  sounds  or  syllables  of  each 
single  word  so  as  to  form  a  compound  that  will  awaken 
in  the  mind  at  once  all  the  ideas  singly  expressed  by  the 
words  from  which  they  are  taken.  2.  By  an  analagous 
combination  of  the  various  parts  of  speech,  particularly 
by  means  of  the  verb,  so  that  its  various  forms  and  in 
flections  will  express  not  only  the  principal  action,  but  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  the  moral  ideas  and  physical 
objects  connected  with  it,  and  will  combine  itself  to  the 
greatest  extent  with  those  conceptions  which  are  the  sub 
ject  of  other  parts  of  speech,  and  in  other  languages  requi 
red  to  be  expressed  by  separate  and  distinct  words.  Such  I 
take  to  be  the  general  character  of  the  Indian  languages." 

These,  then,  are  the  declarations  of  Mr.  Du  Ponceau 
concerning  the  Indian  languages.     1st.  That  the  Ameri 
can   languages,  in   general,  are  rich   in  words   and   in 
grammatical  forms,  and  that,  in  their  complicated  con- 
9 


98 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


struction,  the  greatest  order,  method,  and  regularity  pre 
vail.  2d.  That  these  complicated  forms,  called  by  him 
Polysynthetic,  appear  to  exist  in  all  these  languages  from 
Greenland  to  Cape  Horn.  3d.  That  these  forms  appear  to 
differ  essentially  from  those  of  the  ancient  and  modern  lan 
guages  of  the  old  hemisphere. 


PARTICULARITIES  OF  THE  ASIATIC  LANGUAGES. 

Santini,  after  collating  the  Indian  language  with  those 
spoken  by  the  Coriacks  and  Tongusi,  gives  us  the  fol 
io  wing  particularities  of  these  Asiatic  dialects. 

"Le  lingue  che  si  parlario  dai  Tongusi  e  i  Coriaki  di 
Siberia,  sono  priginalmente  uscitedalla  medesima fonte ; 
perche,  avendo  studiato  tutte  le  due,  sono  capace  di  ye- 
dere  1'  affinita ;  oltrequesto,  ho  osservato  sovente  volte 
che  i  Tongusi  e  Coriaki  potevano  parlare  insieme  senza 
alcuna  interpretazione ;  e  ciascheduno  parlava  nella  lingua 
sua.  Q,ueste  lingue  hanno  due  generi,  uno  che  si  applica 
all'  animante,  e  un  altro  all'  in  an  i  ma  to.  I  verbi  sono 
senza  numero,  e  si  aumeritano  secondo  la  varieta  delle 
cose  che  si  fanno  e  si  vedono.  Per  esempio,  un  Coriako 
non  si  serve  del  medesimo  verbo,  quando  vuoi  dire  che 
ha  veduto  un  uccello  e  un  albero.  Nella  medesima  ma- 
niera,  si  varia  il  verbo,  quarido  dice,  che  ha  bevuto  dell' 
acqna  o  del  vino.  II  medesimo  idiomasi  puo  vederenelle 
lingue  che  parlano  gli  Iridiani  Americani.  Padre  Chia- 
ratesta,  che  era  restato  due  anni  in  Kamschatka,  ha  detto 
e  non  si  puo  dubitare  le  sue  parole,  che  quelli  dall'  altra 
parte  del  stretto  di  Beering,  comprendevano  la  lingua  dei 
Kamschadali,  e  che  si  vedevano  frequentemente  passare 
e  ripassare  da  un  continente  all'  altro."* 

The  languages  which  are  spoken  by  the  Tougusi  and 

*  Libro  secondo,  cap.  settimo. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


Coriaks  of  Siberia,  says  Santini,  have  originally  sprung 
from  the  same  fountain.  Having  studied  them  both,  the 
affinity  appears  to  me  to  be  very  evident.  Besides,  I 
frequently  observed  the  Tongusi  and  th.e  Coriaks  conver 
sing  together,  while  each  used  that  language  which  was 
spoken  in  his  own  country.  They  could  not,  certainly, 
understand  each  other  easily,  from  the  repetitions,  ges 
tures,  and  circumlocutions  which  I  observed  during  their 
conversation.  Both  languages  have  two  genders :  the 
one  is  called  the  noble,  and  is  applied  to  animate  things  ; 
and  the  other  the  ignoble,  of  which  gender  are  inanimate 
things.  The  verbs  are  without  number,  and  are  increased 
according  to  the  variety  and  quality  of  the  action.  For 
example,  a  Coriak  does  not  use  the  same  verb,  when  he 
says  he  saw  a  bird  or  a  tree.  In  the  same  manner  the  Co 
riaks  alter  their  verb,  when  they  say  they  drank  wine  or 
water.  The  same  idiom,  continues  Santini,  is  peculiar 
to  some  languages  which  are  spoken  by  the  North  Ameri 
can  Indians.  Father  Chiaratesta,  who  remained  two 
years  in  Kamschatka,  has  said,  and  his  word  should  not 
be  doubted,  that  those  on  the  American  side  of  the  Straits 
of  Beering  understood  the  language  of  the  Kamschadales, 
and  were  seen  frequently  to  pass  and  repass  from  the  one 
cpntinent  to  the  other. 

According  to  this  author,  the  language  of  the  Kam 
schadales  is  not  much  different  from  that  spoken  on  the 
other  side  of  Beering's  straits.  He  alludes  to  the  land 
ing  of  Caesar  in  Britain  from  Gaul,  where  the  passage  be 
tween  Calais  and  Dover  is  as  wide  as  that  of  Beering's 
straits  in  one  place,  and  much  more  difficult  to  cross,  by 
reason  of  the  cluster  of  islands  that  is  interspersed  in  this 
narrow  channel  between  Asia  and  America.  As  Caesar 
found  the  ancient  Britons  to  resemble,  in  a  most  striking 
manner,  the  Gauls  whom  he  had  left  behind  him  on  the 
continent,  in  their  dress,  language  and  mode  of  fighting, 
so  Chiaratesta  discovered  the  Indians  of  America  to  be 
equally  similar  to  the  Kamschadales  of  Asia,  in  language 
and  dress.  "  Eadem  lingua,''  he  says,  "/ere  utebantur 


100  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

atque  eodem  modo  fere  vestiti,  quamobrem  dubitari  non 
potest  quin  propinquitatibus  ajjinitatibusque  conjunct* 
sint'''*  From  this  assertion  it  would  appear,  that  Chia- 
ratesta  feels  convinced  of  the  sameness  of  people,  as  he 
observed  them  use  almost  the  same  language,  and  dress 
almost  in  the  same  manner.  These  are  his  very  words, 
and  he  hesitates  not  a  moment  to  conclude  the  Asiatic 
origin  of  the  North  American  Indians,  especially  of  those 
whom  he  met  on  crossing  the  Straits  of  Beering. 

We  are  assured  by  all  those  travellers  who  made  any 
inquiries  after  the  nature  and  construction  of  the  lan 
guages  or  dialects  spoken  in  the  regions  of  the  north-east 
of  Asia,  that  they  partake,  in  an  eminent  degree,  of  the 
idiom  of  American  languages.  A  most  singular  coinci 
dence  in  the  formation  of  verbs  in  the  Tongusian  lan 
guage  is  noticed  by  Abernethy.  Nothing  can  indicate 
more  clearly  or  more  decidedly  the  connexion  of  the  In 
dian  and  Aaiatic  dialects  than  this  circumstance.  To 
kill  a  deer  and  to  kill  a  bear  is  expressed  by  the  Tongusi 
with  two  different  verbs.  To  eat  flesh  and  to  eat  fish, 
just  in  the  same  manner  asxthe  American  languages  vary, 
is  likewise  expressed  by  two  different  verbs.  This  cir 
cumstance  alone  is  sufficient  to  prove  their  similarity. 

We  shall  now  offer  the  reader  a  comparative  table  of 
the  Asiatic  and  Indian  languages,  taken  chiefly  from  Dr. 
Barton,  Abernethy,  and  Santini,  where  the  identity  of 
languages  is  evident  at  first  sight. 

*  Chiaratesta,  De  terra  incognita,  p.  96. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


101 


A  COMPARATIVE   VIEW  OF  THE   INDIAN   AND  ASIATIC 
LANGUAGES. 

INDIAN.  ASIATIC. 

GOD. 

Lenni-Lennape,  or  DelaTcares,  Kitschimanitto.  Kamschadales, 

[Kotcham  and  Kitchi  Manoa. 

Algonquins  and  Chippewas,  Kitchi-maniton,  and  Manitoa. 
Onondagas,  &c.,  Nioh. 


Kikkapoos,  Kishek. 
Narragansets,  Kepshuk. 


Lenni-Lennape,  Nooch. 
Chippewas,  noosach,  noosah. 
Pottawatameh,  noosah. 
Miamis,  nonsah,  nosah. 
Algonquins,  nousce. 
Naudowessies,  otah,  ottah. 
Darien  Indians,  tautoh. 
Poconchi,  tat. 
Caraibees,  baba. 


HEAVEN. 


FATHER. 


Semoyads,  noob  and  niob. 

Tartars,  Koek. 
Semoyads,  Koosoek. 

Semoyads,  Niysce,  neezee. 
Kamschadales,  noeseck. 


Olonetzi,  or  Fins,  tauto. 

Wallachians,  tat. 
Tartars  on  the  Jenisea,  baba. 


MOTHER. 


Lenni-Lennape,  Gahowees. 
Pottawatameh,  nanna. 
Indians  of  Pennsylvania,  ) 
according  to  W.  Penn.  S 
Darien  Indians,  nannah. 

SON. 

Indians  of  Penobscot,  St.  } 

Johns,  and  Naragan-    >  namun. 


Morduani,  dwaee. 
Tartars  of  Casan,  ana,  anawee. 
Tartars  of  Orenburg,  > 
Siberia,  $ 

Tartars  near  Tobolsk,  ana. 
Tooshetti,  nana. 


Pottawatameh,  sesah. 
Miamis,  sheemaJi. 


Narragansets,  wasick. 

Miamis,  neeweewah. 
Pottawattameh,  neowah. 


BROTHER. 

HUSBAND, 
WIFE. 


Semoyads,  nioma. 

Kamasthini,  neem. 

Tongusi,  nioman. 

Tchionski,  sezoee. 
Kamschadales,  seezomeh. 

Semoyads,  waesacko. 

Tchoukti,  neeweegan. 
Semoyads,  new. 


102 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


INDIAN. 

CHILD. 

Lenni-Lennape,  nitsch,  nitschaan. 
Chippewas,  bobeloshin. 
Piankashaws,  pappooz. 
Narragansets,  pappoos. 

NOSE. 

Algonkins,  yaka. 
Acadians,  chikon. 
Indians  of  Penobscot  and  St.  Johns,  keetor. 

EYES. 

Chilese,  ne. 

FOREHEAD. 

Indians  of  Pennsylvania,  hakalu. 

HAIR. 

Chippewas,  lissis,  lissey. 
Tuskaroras,  wooaara. 

MOUTH. 

Pottawattameh,  indoun. 
Miamis,  endonnee. 

HAND. 

Lenni-Lennape,  nahk. 
Indians  of  Pennsylvania,  nach. 

FLESH. 

Shawnees,  ^o^othe. 
Chippewas,  weas. 


ASIATIC. 


Macicanni,  pucakan. 
Chilese,  moollbuen. 
Brasilians,  tagui. 


Lenni-Lennape,  ktee. 
Chippewas,  michewah. 


Chippewas,  kesis,  kischis. 
Machicanni,  keesogh. 


BLOOD. 


HEART. 


SUN. 


Semoyads,  mtschoo. 
Suanetti,  bohsch. 

Kottowi,  poop. 


Koriaks,  keka. 

Kamschadales,  kaikan. 

Tongusi,  kaiton. 


Tcherkessi,  ne. 
Tooshetti,  haka. 


Koriaks,  lisseh. 
Ostiaks,  warras. 


Koriaks,  andoon. 
Karassini,  ende. 


Akashini,  nak. 
Tongusi,  neakka  and  naila. 


Ostiaks,  wede,  wotee. 
Koriaks,  weosi. 


Tartars,  kagan. 

Koriaks,  moollyomool. 

Dugorri,  toog. 


Taweeguini,  keet. 
Tongusi,  michewan. 


Koriaks,  keeaschis. 
Kamschadales,  keosan 


J.TXCH-lJLl.V-'a.llllAj     fl/C'OOVgfl'*  JUkCiJLUOV>Xi.C4.UCiJ^O^      fVtxL/Ot*/* 

Indians  of  Penobscot  and  St.  Johns,  keesoose.  Tartars,  kooaisch 

Indians  of  New  England,  kesus.  Coreans,  kaesee 

Chikasah,  hasche. 
Algonkins*  kisis,  fccsw. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


103 


MOON. 

Some  Indians  of  North  Carolina,  keshuse, 

Indians  of  Pennsylvania,  keshow. 

New  Englanders,  kesus. 

Miamis,  kelsoa. 

Carabies,  noonum. 

Naudowessies,  oweeh. 


Lenni-Lennape,  alank. 
Algonkins,  alan,  alank. 
Miamis,  alanqua. 
Shawnees,  alaqua. 


Chippe^was,  kimmawan. 
Shawnees,  kimmewane. 
Algonkins,  kimiowan. 


Lenni-Lennape,  tundew. 
Muskohge,  toatka. 
Brasilians,  tata. 


Chippewas,  mittie. 
Muskoghe,  etoh. 
Cherakee,  attoh. 


Lenni-Lennape,  me-kanne 
Cherakee,  keera. 
Darien  Indians,  isi. 


STAR. 


RAIN. 


FIRE. 


WOOD. 


DOG. 


THERE. 


Lenni-Lennape,  icka. 
Lenni-Lennape  has  also,  taUi. 
Chippewas,  woity. 


ASIATIC. 

Tongusi,  kashoe. 

Kamschadales,  koolsowah. 
Koriaks,  noonoee. 
Tartars,  oee,  aee. 

Kottowi,  alagan. 

Assani,  alak. 

Koriaks,  agalan. 

Kamschadales,  lawkwah. 


Lesghis,  kema. 

Kamschadales,  kemaseem 

Koriaks,  komoseh^ 


Semoyads,  tun. 

Vogouliichi,  taoot. 

Koriaks,  tatoeh. 


Semoyads,  meete 
Koriaks,  oottoo. 
Tartars,  otook. 


Semoyads,  kannak. 

Tchiochonski,  koera. 

Pumyocolli,  tzee. 


Kartalini,  ecka,  eck. 

Tongusi,  talai. 

Koriaks,  wooateh. 


The  first  personal  pronoun  I,  (ego  in  Latin.) 


Lenni-Lennape,  ni. 

Chippewas,  nee. 

Miamis,  nee. 

Wyandots,  dee. 

Maudowessies,  meoh. 

Indians  of  Penobscot  &  St.  Johns,  neah.. 


Kamschadales,  rneah 
Koriaks,  neah. 
Tongutani,  nai. 
Lesghis,  dee. 
Tchonski,  mia. 
Motouri,  ne. 


114  ORIGIN   OF    THE 

These  sources  of  information  are  certainly  worthy  of 
credit ;  for  they  are  distinguished  as  men  of  the  highest 
veracity,  as  well  as  profound  judgment  and  acute  imagi 
nation.  It  is  likewise  generally  known  that  no  person 
can  contract  a  greater  intimacy  with  barbarous  nations, 
than  missionaries,  who,  by  the  dignity  of  tfceir  sacred  of 
fice,  the  affability  of  their  manners,  and  their  brotherly 
counsel,  have  always  succeeded  in  endearing  themselves 
to  the  rudest  of  nations.  We  have  the  testimony  of  other 
travellers,  to  corroborate  the  assertions  of  the  learned 
Santiniand  Chiamtesta,  while  they  endeavour  to  prove  a 
similarity  between  the  Indian  languages  and  those  of  the 
Tongusi  and  Coriaks.  Hennepin,  who  travelled  among 
the  Indians  of  North  America,  says,  that  the  Huron  lan 
guage  partakes  in  a  high  degree  of  the  idiom  of  Asiatic 
tongues,  that  it  abounds  with  those  figurative  expressions, 
sublimity  of  thought  and  sweetness,  which  are  so  char 
acteristic  of  some  Asiatic  languages.  Abernethy  collated 
two  hundred  Indian  words  with  the  Coriack  language, 
and  the  identity  is  so  evident  that  every  person  who  is 
acquainted  with  the  derivation  and  formation  of  lan 
guages,  will  at  once  acknowledge  the  Asiatic  origin  of 
the  Indian  languages. 


RELIGION  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

Among  the  most  savage  nations  in  the  world,  the 
opinion  prevails,  that  there  are  beings  superior  to  them 
selves,  who  manage  by  their  power  and  wisdom,  the  af 
fairs  of  this  world.  The  religion  of  the  Indians  is  very 
simple,  for  it  consists  of  few  doctrines  and  fewer  ceremo 
nies.  The  Supreme  Deity,  they  call  the  Great  Spirit, 
whose  power  they  believe  to  be  infinite';  to  him  they  as 
cribe  their  victories  in  the  field  of  battle  and  their  suc 
cess  m  /-ho  chase.  They  believe  also  in  an  inferior 
8pi>Jt  -v  ';m  they  consider  as  a  malevolent  being  and 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  105 

the  author  of  all  their  misfortunes.  They  more  frequent 
ly  adore  him,  that  he  may  remove  the  evils  by  which 
they  are  oppressed  ;  still  they  are  sometimes  prompted  by 
gratitude  to  perform  an  act  of  devotion  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  that  he  may  continue  his  favours.  They  believe 
in  a  future  state,  where  they  are  to  enjoy  in  a  more  com 
plete  manner  those  pleasures  in  which  they  have  here 
delighted  ;  a  mild  climate,  a  fertile  soil,  abounding  with 
game,  whose  flesh  never  cloys  the  appetite,  nor  surfeits 
by  excess;  the  intercourse  of  all  their  friends  and  rela 
tions,  in  short,  all  their  temporal  enjoyments  unmixed 
with  any  of  their  troubles. 

The  following  concise  account  of  the  religion  of  the  In 
dians  as  given  by  Jarvis,  according  to  Charlevoix  may 
not  perhaps  be  unworthy  of  attention. 

"  But,  besides  the  Supreme  Being,  they  believe  in  an 
infinite  number  of  subaltern  spirits,  who  are  the  objects 
of  worship.  These  they  divide  into  good  and  bad.  The 
good  spirits  are  called  by  the  Huron s,  Okkis,  by  the  Al- 
gonquins,  Manitous.  They  suppose  them  to  be  the 
guardians  of  men,  and  that  each  has  his  tutelary  Deity. 
In  fact,  every  thing  in  nature  has  its  spirit,  though  all 
have  not  the  same  rank  nor  the  same  influence.  The 
animals  they  hunt  have  their  spirits.  If  they  do  not  un 
derstand  any  thing,  they  immediately  say,  it  is  a  spirit. 
(f  any  man  performs  a  remarkable,  exploit,  his  tutelary 
deity  is  supposed  to  be  of  more  than  ordinary  power. 

"  It  is  remarkable,  however,  that  these  tutelary  deities 
are  not  supposed  to  take  men  under  their  protection  till 
something  has  been  done  to  merit  their  favour.  A  parent 
who  wishes  to  obtain  a  guardian  spirit  for  his  child,  first 
blackens  his  face,  and  then  causes  him  to  fast  for  several 
days.  During  this  time  it  is  expected  that  the  spirit  will 
reveal  himself  in  a  dream  ;  and  on  this  account,  the  child 
is  anxiously  examined  every  morning  with  regard  to  the 
visions  of  the  preceding  night.  Whatever  the  child  hap 
pens  to  dream  of  most  frequently,  even  if  it  happens  to  be 
the  head  of  a  bird,  the  foot  of  an  animal,  or  any  thing  of 


106  ORIGIN    Ol?    THE 

the  most  worthless  nature,  becomes  the  symbol  or  figure 
under  which  the  Okki  reveals  himself.  With  this 
figure,  in  the  conceptions  of  his  votary,  the  spirit  becomes 
identified  ;  the  image  is  preserved  with  the  greatest  care 
— is  the  constant  companion  on  all  great  important  occa 
sions,  and  the  constant  object  of  consultation  and  wor 
ship."* 

As  soon  as  a  child  is  informed  what  is  the  nature  or 
form  of  his  protecting  deity,  he  is  carefully  instructed  in 
the  obligations  he  is  under  to  do  him  homage — to  follow 
his  advice  communicated  in  dreams — to  deserve  his  fa 
vours — to  confide  implicitly  in  his  care — and  to  dread  the 
consequences  of  his  displeasure.  For  this  reason,  when 
the  Huron  or  the  Iroquois  goes  to  battle,  or  to  the  chase, 
the  image  of  his  Okki  is  as  carefully  carried  with  him  as 
his  arms.  At  night  each  one  places  his  guardian  idol  on 
the  palisades  surrounding  the  camp,  with  the  face  turned 
from  the  quarter  to  which  the  warriors,  or  hunters,  are 
about  to  march.  He  then  prays  to  it  for  an  hour,  as  he 
does  also  in  the  morning  before  he  continues  his  course. 
This  homage  performed,  he  lies  down  to  rest,  and  sleeps 
in  tranquility,  fully  persuaded  that  his  spirit  will  assume 
the  whole  duty  of  keeping  guard,  and  that  he  has  nothing 
to  fear  for  that  day. 

L'Abbe  Perrin  tells  us  that  they  have  also  their 
priests,  who  are  similar  to  the  Druids  of  the  ancients. 
These  pretend  to  have  a  more  intimate  correspondence 
with  the  Deity  than  any  other  mortal.  They  are,  there 
fore,  held  in  the  highest  estimation,  because  they  can 
either  coinciliate  the  favour  of  the  Great  Spirit,  or  avert 
the  wrath  of  the  malevolent  or  inferior  Deity.  The  Abbe 
observes,  that  as  the  Indians  seldom  engage  in  the  solem 
nities  of  religion,  the  priesthood  is  not  a  lucrative  profess 
ion  ;  by  professing,  however,  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  the 
science  of  physic,  they  are  seldom  reduced  to  a  state  of 
indigence  or  want.  Whenever  the  cures,  which  they 

*  Charlevoix,  Journal,  &c.  let.  xxiv.  p.  345-6. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  107 

prescribe  as  physicians,  prove  unsuccessful,  they  have  the 
policy  to  ascribe  this  failure  to  the  Evil  Spirit,  whose 
wrath,  they  say,  is  implacable  from  some  motives  which 
they  are  not  allowed  to  divulge. 

The  only  valuable  part  of  their  skill  consists  in  their 
knowledge  of  simples,  chiefly  salubrious  herbs,  with 
which  their  country  abounds.  We  are  told  by  medical 
men  who  stand  high  in  their  profession,  that  these  In 
dian  herbists  have,  to  their  own  knowledge,  cured  diseases 
of  which  they  despaired.  In  administering  these  medi 
cines,  the  Indians  are  said  to  use  many  ceremonies  which 
are  ridiculous,  and  sufficiently  mysterious  to  acquire  fame 
and  veneration  among  the  superstitious,  especially  if  the 
patient  recover,  but  if  he  die,  the  Evil  Spirit  is  blamed. 

The  offices  of  priest,  physician,  and  prophet  or  conjurer 
are  generally  hereditary.  This  belief  is  inculcated  by 
those  who  profess  these  sciences ;  for  they  impose  on  the 
credulity  of  the  people,  by  telling  them,  that  their  families 
have  been  particularly  pointed  out  by  the  Great  Spirit, 
who  threatens  vengance  against  those  who  might  intrude 
on  professions  so  sacred. 

It  has  seldom  or  never  been  observed  by  travellers,  that 
the  Indians  offered  human  sacrifices  to  either  of  the  dei 
ties.  It  has,  however,  been  frequently  asserted,  that 
when  an  offering  was  made,  it  consisted  generally  of  a 
dog ;  and  this  took  place  at  no  other  time,  except  in  the 
times  of  calamity,  scarcity,  and  sickness.  Having  pro 
cured  a  suitable  animal,  generally  a  dog,  they  tie  his 
mouth,  without  killing  him,  and  singe  him  at  the  fire. 
They  then  affix  him  to  a  pole  with  a  bundle  of  beaver 
skins.  When  the  pole  is  erected,  the  priest  approaches, 
addresses  the  Spirit,  deprecates  his  wrath,  and  implores 
a  mitigation  of  their  troubles.  The  tribe  at  the  conclu 
sion  of  his  speech  shout  their  concurrence.  They  then 
leave  the  dog  and  the  pole,  never  touching  them  till  they 
rot  and  fall.  This  ridiculous  mode  of  offering  a  sacrifice 
was  witnessed  on  many  occasions  among  the  Hurons  by 
Hennepin,  Perrin,  and  several  other  travellers. 


108  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

The  Indians  have  their  God  of  war  also,  but  this  being 
is  no  other  than  the  Great  Spirit,  to  whom  we  have  al 
ready  alluded,  and  who  is  particularly  invoked  in  their 
war  songs.  The  Hurons  call  him  Areskoui,  and  the 
Iroquois  call  him  Agreskoui.  How  he  is  styled  in  the 
Algonquin,  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  But  it  is 
somewhat  strange,  that  Ares  in  the  Greek  language  is 
Mars,  or  the  God  of  war  ;  from  this  it  would  appear  that 
Ares  in  Greek  is  the  root  whence  Areskoui  of  the  Hurons, 
and  Agreskoui  of  the  Iroquis  must  have  been  derived. 
*  Although  we  are  not  warranted  from  this  similarity 
alone  to  pronounce  an  affinity  between  the  Greek  and  In 
dian  languages,  still  it  appears  probable  enough  that  the 
Greek  and  Indian  terms  for  the  God  of  war  had  one 
common  origin,  if  we  allow  that  the  early  progenitors  of 
the  Greeks  and  Indians  might  have  been  intimately  allied 
at  some  unknown  remote  period,  previous  to  the  establish 
ment  of  colonies  in  the  Grecian  isles,  and  long  before  the 
arrival  of  any  Asiatic  tribe  on  the  continent  of  America. 
If  this  opinion  be  well  founded,  and  we  do  not  see  how  it 
could  be  doubted,  whatever  alterations  these  languages 
may  have  undergone  in  the  course  of  ages,  by  the  multi 
plication  of  ideas,  and  consequently  of  words,  or  by  the 
revolutions  which  the  languages  of  civilized  nations  must 
undergo,  it  would  be  very  unjust  to  deny  the  probability 
of  some  affinity  between  the  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Indian 
language.  After  the  dispersion  of  Babel,  for  instance, 
they  might  have  set  off  together  in  quest  of  settlements. 
Notwithstanding  this  probability,  we  are  far  from  believe- 
ing  that  the  Indians  areconsanguineously  related  to  those 
Greeks,  whose  language  rose  into  a  fabric  of  the  most  ex- 

*  Chaiievoix,  Journal,  p.  344.  II  paroit  que  dans  ces  chansons  (de 
guerre)  on  invoque  le  Dieu  de  la  guerre  que  les  Hurons  appellent 
^reskoui}  et  let  Iroquois  Agreskoui.  Je  ne  sais  pas  quel  nom  on  lui 
donne  dans  les  langues  Algonquines.  Mais  n'est  il  pas  un  peu  etonnant 
que  dans  le  mot  Grcc  Ares  qui  est  le  Mars,  et  le  Dieu  de  la  guerre  dans 
tous  les  pays,  ou  Fon  a  suivi  la  Theologie  d'  Homere,  ou  trouve  la 
racine  d'ou  semblent  deriver  plusieurs  termes  de  la  langue  Huronne  et 
Iroquoise  qui  ont  rapport  a  la  guerre  ? 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  109 

qnisite  and  astonishing  art,  or  to  any  of  the  tribes  of  Israel 
whose  language  was  the  Hebrgw.  Let  us  now,  however, 
return  to  the  Indian  God  of  war.  Before  the  battle  and  in 
the  height  of  the  engagement,  his  name  is  the  v,ar  cry  ; 
upon  the  march  also  they  often  repeat  it,  by  way  of  encour 
agement  to  each  other,  and  to  implore  his  assistance.  L' Ab 
be  Perrin  says,  that  before  an  Indian  engagement,  the  war 
riors  raise  a  most  hideous  yell,  with  which  they  address 
their  God  of  battles,  looking  at  the  same  time  upwards, 
as  if  in  the  greatest  solicitude  to  behold  his  mightiness 
in  the  heavens. 

L'Abbe  de  la  Fontaine  says,  that  when  they  are  afraid 
of  being  conquered  in  battle,  they  senn  their  supplications 
also  to  an  Evil  Spirit,  that  he  may  be  pleased  to  prevent 
their  utter  destruction ;  this  they  do  with  the  greatest 
humility  and  submission,  accompanied  with  rosolutions 
and  promises  never  to  incur  his  wrath  for  the  time  to 
come.  De  la  Fontaine  admires  and  eulogizes  the  sub 
lime  language  which  they  make  use  of  on  these  solemn 
occasions :  he  compares  their  poetical  and  martial  ideas 
to  the  lofty  strains  of  Ossian,  the  famous  bard  of  the  an 
cient  Celts. 


THE  RELIGION  OF  THE  TONGUSI,  CORIAKS,  AND 
KAJMSCHADALES. 

The  most  barbarous  nations  in  the  world  believe  in  the 
existence  of  a  being  who  is  superior  to  themselves.  Na 
ture  has  never  failed  to  indicate  to  the  human  mind,  the 
existence  of  some  Deity,  who  presides  over  the  human 
race.  Although  man  sees  not  his  superior,  yet  the  vari 
ous  revolutions  which  he  sees  take  place  around  him  in 
culcate  the  idea  that  there  exists  a  Sovereign  Lord,  at 
whose  control  te  world  revolves. 

The  Mahometans,  who  borrowed  their  religious  notions 
from  the  Jews  and  Christians,  pretend  that  they  are  the 
10 


110  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

great  supporters  of  the  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  the  Deity. 
Under  a  pretence  of  improvement,  they  impeach  both  the 
Jew  and  Christian  with  a  plurality  of  Deities.  But  it  is 
well  known,  that  the  Jews  and  Christians  make  the  unity 
of  the  Deity  a  fundamental  doctrine  of  their  religion. 
From  these  three  sects,  however,  the  doctrine  of  the  unity 
of  the  Deity  has  been  imparted  to  almost  every  nation 
and  tribe  with  whom  we  are  acquainted.  We  do  not, 
however,  mean  to  say,  that  they  have  been  solely  the 
means  of  propagating  this  doctrine,  for  we  are  no  less 
certain,  that  several  nations  with  whom  we  are  utterly 
unacquainted  and  who  never,  perhaps,  heard  of  Revela 
tion,  entertain  ideas  of  one  Supreme  Deity,  with  many 
inferior  agents,  similar  to  each  other.  Among  those  rude 
nations,  the  notion  of  a  Supreme  Being  appear  to  have 
arisen  from  the  force  of  human  reason  :  the  idea  of  his 
numerous  inferior  ministers  seems  to  have  originated  in 
the  imbecility  of  the  human  imagination.  Notwithstan 
ding  this  general  belief  of  the  unity  of  the  Deity,  which 
prevails  almost  every  where,  however  rude  the  nation 
may  be,  every  country  has  its  own  peculiarities  in  reli 
gion,  as  well  as  in  their  language  and  modes  of  living. 

In  no  part  of  Asia  has  the  fancy  multiplied  more  infe 
rior  Spirits,  than  in  Hindostan.  The  spiritual  agents  of 
the  Deity  are  there  innumerable,  and  each  of  them  is  rep 
resented  under  different  aspects ;  but  to  enumerate  the 
whole  would  be  impossible  and  superfluous  on  the  present 
occasion. 

From  the  researches  of  the  most  veracious  travellers  in 
Asia,  we  are  informed,  that  of  all  the  Asiatic  nations 
whose  religious  tenets  they  could  ascertain  with  any  ac 
curacy,  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  and  Kamschadales  re 
semble  most  the  North  American  Indians,  in  their  ideas 
concerning  the  Deity.  "  The  Tongusi,"  says  Abernethy, 
"believe  in  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  according 
to  whose  will  they  shall  either  conquer  or  die.  They  call 
him  the  God  of  hosts,  because  on  him,  they  imagine,  the 
fate  of  their  warlike  expeditions  depend.  They  worship 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  HI 

likewise  an  infernal  Demon,  whose  attributes  are  wrath 
and  vengeance  ;  while  they  invoke  him,  they  ar»  influen 
ced  solely  by  fear,  lest  he  may  afflict  or  toment  .hem,  for 
they  believe  that  from  him  all  their  calamities  and  mis 
fortunes  proceed.  As  to  a  future  state,  they  are  as  chari 
table  as  the  Universalist,  for  they  cannot  bear  to  hear  of 
a  future  state  of  torments  and  damnation.  On  the  other 
hand,  they  imagine  that  they  are  to  enjoy  all  the  pleasures 
after  which  they  aspired  in  this  world.  They  have  their 
priests,  prophets,  and  physicians  :  and  their  sacrifices  con 
sist  generally  of  those  brute  animals  which  they  consider 
the  greatest  favourites  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  for  they  seldom 
supplicate  the  Great  Spirit,  except  before  battle,  as  they 
deem  hima  benevolent  Deity,  who  is  disposed  to  favour, 
rather  than  torment  them.'' 

The  Coriaks  have  a  God  of  war,  whcse  aspect  they 
imagine  to  be  fierce  and  sour,  while  terror  is  in  his  looks 
as  well  as  in  his  dress.  This  Mars  of  the  Romans,  and 
the  Ares  of  the  Greeks,  they  call  Arioski,  a  name  which 
not  only  resembles  the  Ares  of  the  Greeks,  but  is  almost 
the  very  same  as  the  Areskoui  of  the  Hurons  of  America, 
an  appellation  which  they  apply  to  the  same  martial 
Deity.  It  appears  rather  singular  that  the  same  term  for 
the  God  of  war  should  be  found  in  the  Coriak  of  Siberia, 
the  Greek  and  the  Huron  languages  of  America.  We 
cannot,  however,  account  for  this  identity  of  terms,  more 
reasonably  than  we  have  already  done.  The  Greeks  cal 
led  him  Ares,  either  from  the  destruction  and  slaughter 
which  he  caused ;  or  from  the  silence  which  is  kept  in 
war,  where  actions,  not  words,  are  necessary.  This  term 
may,  very  probably,  have  been  derived  from  the  Greek 
verb  airein,  to  take  away,  or  anairein,  to  kill.  But  from 
whatever  words  this  name  is  deriv<  1,  it  is  certain  that 
those  famous  names,  Areopagus  ana  Areopagita,  are  de 
rived  from  Ares.  The  Areopagi/s,  that  is,  the  "  hill,"  or 
"  mountain"  of  Mars,  was  a  plar;e  at  Athens,  according 
to  the  Greek  mythology,  in  wh.ch  Mars  being  accused 
of  murder,  &c.,  was  forced  tr  defend  himself  before 


112  ORIGIN   OF    THE 

twelve  gods,  and  was  acquitted  by  six  voices ;  from 
which  time  that  place  became  a  court  wherein  were  tried 
capital  causes  and  the  things  belonging  to  religion. 

The  Kamschadales,  according  to  Santini,  coincide  with 
the  Coriaks  and  Tongusi,  almost  in  every  point  of  reli 
gion,  except  the  offering  of  sacrifices.  They  believe  in  a 
Supreme  and  benevolent  Being,  whose  sole  care  it  is  to 
watch  over  their  interests,  provided  they  do  not  incur  the 
displeasure  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  who  is  always  disposed  to 
punish  them  when  they  offend  him. 


DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN 
INDIANS. 

It  has  always  been  observed  that  all  the  various  tribes 
have  a  close  resemblance  in  their  dress  ;  that  of  the 
North  American  Indians  in  their  original  state,  consists 
entirely  of  furs  and  hides  ;  one  piece  is  fastened  round  the 
waist,  which  reaches  the  middle  of  the  thigh,  and  another 
larger  piece  is  thrown  over  the  shoulders.  Their  stock 
ings  are  of  skins,  fitted  to  the  shape  of  the  leg  ;  the  seams 
are  ornamented  with  porcupines'  quills  ;  their  shoes  are 
of  the  skin  of  the  deer,  elk,  or  buffalo,  dressed  for  the 
most  part  with  the  hair  on  ;  they  are  made  to  fasten  about 
the  ancles,  where  they  have  ornaments  of  brass  or  tin, 
about  an  inch  long,  hung  by  thongs.  The  women  are 
all  covered  from  the  knees  upwards.  Their  shifts  cover 
their  body,  but  not  the  arms.  Their  petticoats  reach 
from  the  waist  to  the  knees ;  and  both  are  of  leather. 
Their  shoes  and  stockings  are  not  different  from  those  of 
the  men.  Those  men  who  wish  to  appear  gay.  pluck 
the  hair  from  their  heads,  except  a  round  spot  of  about 
two  inches  diameter  on  the  crown  of  the  head ;  on  this 
are  fastened  plumes  of  feathers  with  quills  of  ivory  or 
silver.  The  peculiar  ornaments  of  this  part  are  the  dis 
tinguishing  marks  of  the  different  nations.  They  some- 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  113 

times  paint  their  faces  black,  but  oftener  red  ;  they  bore 
their  noses  and  slit  their  ears,  and  in  both  they  wear  vari 
ous  ornaments.  The  higher  ranks  of  women  dress  their 
hair  sometimes  with  silver  in  a  peculiar  manner  ;  they 
sometimes  paint  it.  They  have  generally  a  large  spot  of 
paint  near  the  ear,  on  each  side  of  the  head,  and  not  un- 
frequently  a  small  spot  on  the  brow.  The  Indians,  it  is 
true,  have  made  several  improvements  in  their  dresses, 
since  they  commenced  to  receive  European  commodities. 
The  picture,  however,  which  we  have  given,  is  not  so 

rfect  an  image  of  the  Indians  as  the  following  portrait 
y  the  Bishop  of  Meaux  : 

"  The  colours  with  they  paint  their  faces,  and  the 
grease  with  which  they  rub  all  their  bodies,  produce  the 
same  advantages,  and,  as  they  fancy,  give  them  the  same 
good  appearance  as  pricking,  of  which  we  shall  speak 
hereafter.  The  warriors  paint  themselves  when  the*" 
take  the  field,  to  intimidate  their  enemies,  perhaps  also 
to  hide  their  fear,  for  we  must  not  think  that  they  #re  all 
exempt  from  it.  The  young  people  do  it  to  conceal  an 
air  of  youth,  or  a  paleness  remaining  after  some  distem 
per,  which  may,  they  are  apprehensive,  be  taken  for  the 
want  of  courage  :  they  do  it  also,  no  doubt,  to  make  them 
look  handsome,  but  on  this  occasion  the  colours  are  more 
lively  and  more  varied.  It  is  said  that  they  paint  the 
prisoners  who  are  going  to  die,  and  for  what  purpose  we 
have  not  been  informed ;  it  has  been  thought,  however, 
by  some,  that  it  is  to  adorn  the  victim,  who  is  to  be 
sacrificed  to  the  God  of  war.  The  dead  are  also  painted, 
in  order,  no  doubt,  to  hide  the  paleness  of  death  which 
disfigures  them,  for  they  are  at  the  same  time  dressed  in 
their  finest  robes  to  meet  the  Great  Spirit,  with  whom 
they  are  to  live  for  ever. 

"  The  colours  which  they  use  on  these  occasions  are 
the  same  they  employ  to  dye  skins,  and  they  make  their, 
from  certain  earths  and  barks  of  trees.  They  are  not  very 
lively,  still  they  are  not  easily  worn  out.  The  men  add 
to  this  ornament  the  down  of  rrans  or  other  birds,  which 
10* 


114  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

they  strew  on  their  hair,  after  it  has  been  greased,  like 
powder.  They  add  to  this  feathers  of  all  colours  and 
bunches  of  hair  of  divers  animals,  all  placed  in  an  odd 
manner.  The  placing  of  the  hair,  sometimes  standing  up 
like  bristles  on  one  side,  and  flattened  on  the  other,  or  dress 
ed  in  a  thousand  different  ways  pendants  ;  in  their  ears 
and  sometimes  in  their  nostrils  ;  a  great  shell  of  porcelain 
hanging  about  tl»^r  neck,  or  in  their  breast ;  some  crowns 
made  of  the  puimage  of  scarce  birds,  the  claws,  the  feet, 
or  heads  of  birds  of  prey,  little  horns  of  roebucks,  and  in 
numerable  other  things  constitute  their  finery. 

"  The  men.  we  see,  take  little  pains  to  adorn  any  othei 
part  of  the  body  but  their  heads,  which  is  just  the  re 
verse  with  the  women,  for  they  scarcely  wear  any  thing 
on  it.  They  are  certainly  fond  of  their  hair,  and  they 
would  consider  themselves  disgraced  if  any  part  of  it  was 
cut  off.  To  preserve  their  hair  they  grease  it  often  and 
powder  it  with  the  dust  of  spruce  bark,  and  sometimes 
with  vermillion  ;  then  they  wrap  it  up  in  the  skin  of  an 
eel  or  serpent,  in  the  fashion  of  whiskers  which  hang 
down  to  their  waist.  As  to  their  faces,  they  are  satisfied 
with  tracing  some  lines  on  them  with  vermillion  or  other 
colours. 

"  Their  nostrils  are  never  bored,  and  it  is  only  among 
some  nations  that  they  bore  their  ears  ;  then  they  wear 
in  them,  pendants  as  do  also  the  men,  made  of  beads  of 
porcelain.  When  they  are  dressed  in  all  their  finery, 
they  have,  robes  painted  with  all  sorts  of  figures,  with 
little  Collars  of  porcelain,  set  on  without  any  order  or 
symmetry,  with  a  kind  of  border  tolerably  worked  with 
porcupines'  hair,  which  they  paint  also  with  various  col 
ours.  They  adorn  in  tne  same  manner  the  cradles  of 
their  children  and  they  load  them  with  all  sorts  of  trin 
kets:  these  cradles  are  made  of  light  wood,  and  have  at 
the  upper  end  one  or  two  semicircles  of  cedar,  that  they 
may  co^er  them  without  touching  the  head  of  the 
child. 

"  Many  ,nen  make  various  figures  all  over  their  bod- 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  115 

ies,  by  pricking  themselves,  others  only  in  some  parts. 
They  do  not  do  this  merely  for  ornament,  for  they  find 
also,  as  it  is  said,  great  advantages  by  this  custom.  It 
serves  greatly  to  defend  them  from  the  cold,  renders 
them  less  sensible  of  the  other  injuries  of  the  air.  and 
Trees  them  from  the  persecution  of  the  gnats.  But  it  is 
only  in  countries  possessed  by  the  English,  especially  in 
Virginia,  that  the  custom  of  pricking  themselves  all  over 
the  body,  is  very  common.  In  New  France  the  greater 
part  are  satisfied  with  some  figures  of  birds,  serpents,  or 
other  animals,  and  even  of  leaves,  and  such  like  figures, 
without  order  or  symmetry,  but  according  to  every  one's 
fancy,  often  in  the  face,  and  sometimes  even  on  the  eye 
lids.  Many  women  are  marked  in  the  parts  of  the  fac«» 
that  answer  to  the  jaw-bones,  to  prevent  the  tooth-ache. 

"  This  operation  is  not  painful  in  itself.  It  is  perform 
ed  in  this  manner :  .they  begin  by  tracing  on  the  skin, 
drawn  very  tight,  the  figure  they  intend  to  make  ;  then 
they  prick  little  holes  close  together  with  the  fins  of  ** 
fish,  or  with  needles,  all  over  these  traces,  so  as  to  draw 
blood.  Then  they  rub  them  with  charcoal  dust,  and 
other  colours,  well  ground  and  powdered.  These  pow 
ders  sink  into  the  skin,  and  the  colours  are  never  effaced ; 
but  soon  after  the  skin  swells,  and  forms  a  kind  of  scab, 
accompanied  with  inflammation.  It  commonly  excites 
a  fever ;  and  if  the  weather  is  too  hot,  or  the  operation 
has  been  carried  too  far,  there  is  a  hazard  of  life." 

These  are  the  observations  of  the  Bishop  of  Meaux 
who  travelled  in  North  America,  at  the  request  of  the 
Clueen  of  France. 


DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  TONGUSI,  CORTAKS  AND 
KAMSCHADALES. 

*  The  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  Kamschadales,  and  other  tribes 
in  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia,"  says  Abernethy,  "  are 


116 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


differently  attired  from  what  they  were  a  century  ago 
Like  every  other  rude  nation  in  their  original  state,  they 
covered  themselves  with  furs  and  hides  like  the  shep 
herds  of  Spain  and  Italy;  the  upperg  armerit  consisted  oi 
one  piece,  with  a  hood  and  sleeves  ;  it  bears  also  some 
resemblance  to  the  dress  of  Capuchin  monks,  though 
not  so  long,  for  it  reaches  not  farther  than  the  knee. 
From  the  knees  downward,  they  are  covered  with  leggins 
of  deer  or  buffalo  skin  ;  their  shoes  also  are  made  of  the 
same.  These  robes  were  formerly  dressed  with  the  hair 
on,  but  the  Tongusi  especially,  and  the  Coriaks,  have 
made  themselves  so  well  acquainted  with  the  art  of  tan 
ning,  that  hair  is  not  seen  in  any  part  of  their  dress,  ex 
cept  the  hood,  the  neck,  and  the  cuffs  of  the  sleeves  of 
the  upper  garment.  The  tanned  covering  is  generally 
painted  with  considerable  taste.  The  figures  represent 
those  animals  which  have  been  chosen  by  each  tribe  as 
their  distinguishing  marks.  In  the  summer  season,  they 
wear  a  kind  of  petticoat  round  the  waist  which  comes 
down  to  the  knees;  it  is  made  of  coarse  linen  or  cotton, 
which  they  manufacture  themselves.  At  this  time  they 
paint  their  bodies  with  a  variety  of  colours.  The  pro 
cess  of  thus  adorning  themselves,  consists  of  pricking 
those  parts  of  the  body  which  are  not  covered,  and  rub 
bing  them  over  with  different  colours. 

"  The  warriors  paint  their  faces  that  they  may  appear 
more  warlike.  Others  who  are  not  engaged  in  hostili 
ties  do  the  same,  because,  I  suppose,  they  imagine  they 
look  more  handsome. 

"  They  take  great  pains  to  dress  their  hair,  which  is 
generally  long  and  oily,  by  reason  of  being  smeared  with 
grease.  The  pendants  in  their  ears  and  nostrils  are 
usually  shells,  which  are  painted  on  one  side  with  a  red 
and  on  the  other  with  a  blue  colour  ;  but  they  never  con 
sider  themselves  in  their  full  uniform  without  a  crown 
made  of  the  plumage  of  a  bird  called  the  rotoo.  Their 
women  may  be  said  to  follow  the  same  practices,  al 
though  they  pay  very  little  attention  to  the  hair." 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  117 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Kamschatka,"  the  same  author 
continues,  "  have  preserved  their  ancient  dress  better  than 
any  of  their  neighbouring  tribes,  because,  although  they 
are  tributary  to  the  Russian  empire,  they  are  farther  re 
moved  from  civilized  society.  Without  alluding  partic 
ularly  to  their  dress,  I  have  only  to  say,  that  they  were 
anciently  clad  in  the  same  manner,  as  the  Coriaks  and 
Tongusi,  notwithstanding  the  difference  which  has  been 
effected,  by  the  novelty  of  the  fashions  of  modern  times." 

Santini  says  almost  the  same  :  "  Q,uanto  all'  abito  del 
Tongusi,  eglino  e  tutte  le  altre  nazioni  barbare  hanno 
quasi  il  medesimo  vestito,  che  consiste  delle  pelle  di  bes- 
tie  fiere.  Quest'  abito  e  semplicemente  accomodato  al 
corpo,  o  adornato  con  ornamenti  secondo  il  grado  di  ci- 
vilizazione  fra  quella  gente.  I  Tongusi  andavano,  una 
volta,  vestiti  in  pelli;  depingevano  il  corpo  e  la  faccia 
con  differenti  colori.  Pertuggiavano  il  naso  e  gli  orechii, 
dove  si  impicavano  dei  nichii  coloriti.  Hanno  una  coro 
na  fatta  delle  piume  dei  pin  belli  e  rari  uccelli,  special- 
mente  i  pavoni.  Ogni  parte  del  loro  vestito  era  abellato 
colle  penne  del  porco  spinoso.  Le  loro  scarpe  per 
Pinverno  sono  due  piedi  di  lunghezza  :  son  fatte  percam- 
minare  sulla  neve ;  la  loro  figura  e  ovale  :  con  questo 
fanno  Inngi  viaggii ;  sono  leggieri  perche  il  suolo  di 
queste  scarpe  e  composto  d'  una  rete  di  cordicelle  che 
son  fatte  della  pelle  di  qualche  animale." 

Santini  tells  us  here  that  the  dress  of  every  barbarous 
nation,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Tongusi,  is  generally  made 
of  the  skins  of  wild  beasts.  This  dress  is  simply  fitted  to 
the  form  and  shape  of  the  body,  or  it  is  adorned  with 
various  ornaments  according  to  the  degree  of  civilization 
which  these  nations  have  arrived  at.  The  Tongusi  in 
thoir  original  state  of  barbarity  were  dressed  in  skins; 
they  painted  their  bodies  and  faces  with  various  colours  ; 
they  bored  their  noses  and  ears  whence  hang  coloured 
shells.  For  their  head  covering  they  had  crowns  made 
of  the  skin  of  a  young  deer,  ornamented  with  the  plu 
mage  of  rare  birds,  especially  the  peacock.  Every  part 


118  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

of  their  dress  was  embellished  with  coloured  porcupine 
quills  :  they  had  shoes  particularly  suited  for  the  winter, 
in  order  to  traverse  the  snowy  plains  more  easily  ;  their 
length  was  about  two  feet.  Prom  the  lightness  and 
structure  of  these  shoes  they  were  able  to  perform  long 
journies.  The  soles  consisted  of  a  net  made  of  strings 
of  a  raw  hide." 

The  Asiatic  snow  shoes  are  to  be  seen  in  the  museum 
of  St.  Ignatius's  college  at  Rome  ;  for  Santini  took  sev 
eral  pair  of  them  with  him  from  Siberia.  La  Perouse 
and  Lisseps  found  the  snow  shoe  in  Tartary.  Count 
Buonaventura  observes  how  serviceable  they  are  to  the 
Siberians.  Rosetti  has  a  pair  of  them  in  his  collection  of 
antiquities ;  these  he  found  among  the  Hurons  of  North 
America.  Rosetti  compared  his  Indian  dress,  in  which 
he  appeared  once  at  a  masquerade  ball  at  Rome,  with  the 
dresses  of  the  two  Tongusian  princes,  the  converts  of 
Santini,  and  the  resemblance  was  striking. 

Santini,  in  speaking  of  the  shirts  which  are  introduced 
I  in  the  modern  dress  of  the  Tongusi,  make,'  the  following 

observation : 

"  Ho  sempre  osservato,  che  i  Tongusi,  almeno  la  mag- 
gior  parte  degli  uomini,  hanno  due  camicie  nell'  abito 
moderno,  una  che  sta  sempre  presso  alia  pelle,  e  un'  altra 
copre  il  primo  vestimento.  La  raggione  di  questo  cos 
tume  non  conosco,  nulladimeno  alcuni  mi  hanno  detto 
che  era  originate  d'  un  motivo  di  vanita." 

According  to  Santini,  the  Tongnsi,  in  their  modern 
dress,  wear  two  shirts,  one  next  their  skin  and  another 
over  their  waistcoat.  How  this  custom  originated  he 
could  not  ascertain ;  but  he  says  he  was  told  by  some 
that  they  did  it  through  pride  or  vanity. 

Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  manners,  habits 
and  customs  of  the  North  American  Indians,  must  be 
aware  of  their  attachment  also  to  wear  a  shirt  over  their 
waistcoat. 


NORTH    AMERICAN     NDIANS  119 


HARRIAGE  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

None  of  the  North  American  tribes,  however  rude,  were 
unacquainted  with  the  institution  of  marriage.  They 
generally  are  contented  with  one  wife,  they  sometimes 
take  two,  and  seldom  more  than  three.  The  women  are 
under  the  direction  of  their  fathers  in  the  choice  of  a  hus 
band,  arid  very  seldom  express  a  predilection  for  any  par 
ticular  person.  Their  courtship  is  short  and  simple. 
The  lover  makes  a  present,  generally  of  game,  to  the 
head  of  that  family  to  which  belongs  the  woman  he  fan 
cies.  Her  guardian's  approbation  being  obtained,  an  ap 
probation  w-hich,  if  the  suitor  is  an  expert  hunter,  is  sel 
dom  refused,  he  next  makes  a  present  to  the  woman,  and 
her  acceptance  of  this  signifies  her  consent.  The  con 
tract  is  immediately  made,  and  the  match  concluded. 
Assoonas,he  chooses  he  is  admitted  to  cohabitation; 
but  the  time  of  the  consummation  is  always  a  secret  to 
every  one  but  themselves.  All  this  is  transacted  without 
ceremony,  without  even  a  feast.  The  husband  generally 
carries  his  wife  among  his  own  relations,  where  he  either 
returns  to  the  tent  which  he  formerly  inhabited,  or  con 
structs  a  new  one  for  their  own  use.  They  sometimes, 
but  seldom,  remain  with  the  wife's  relations.  When  the 
wife  is  removed,  if  the  game  be  plentiful,  he  gives  an 
entertainment  to  her  relations. 

These  contracts  are  binding  no  longer  than  both  par 
ties  are  willing.  If  they  do  not  agree  they  separate;  the 
woman  returns  to  her  relations,  and  if  they  have  any 
children,  she  takes  them  along  with  her;  but  after  they 
have  children,  a  separation  very  seldom  takes  place.  If 
a  woman  be  guilty  of  adultery,  and  her  husband  be  un 
willing  to  divorce  her,  he  cuts  her  hair  which  is  the 
highest  female  disgrace. 

On  the  woman  is  devolved  every  domestic  charge. 
She  erects  the  tent,  procures  wood  for  the  fire,  manages 
the  agricultural  affairs,  dresses  the  provisions,  catches  fish, 


120  ORIGIN    OF    THE 


mafces  traps  for  small  animals.  The  husband  only 
employs  himself  in  the  chase. 

When  a  woman  is  with  child,  she  works  at  her  ordina 
ry  occupations,  convinced  that  work  is  advantageous 
both  for  nerself  and  child  ;  her  labour  is  easy,  and  she 
may  be  seen  on  the  day  after  her  delivery  with  her  child 
at  her  back,  avoiding  none  of  her  former  employments. 
They  suckle  their  children  till  they  are  at  least  two 
years  of  age.  Their  cradle  was  anciently  a  board,  to 
which  they  laced  their  children,  after  having  wrapped 
them  in  furs,  to  preserve  them  in  heat.  This  is  set  down 
in  a  corner,  or  hung  up  in  the  tent,  and  without  loosen 
ing  it  from  its  cradle,  the  mother  often  takes  it  on  her 
back,  and  in  that  manner  carries  it  about. 

Among  the  Indians,  widows  cannot  contract  a  second 
marriage  without  the  consent  of  those  on  whom  they  de 
pend,  in  virtue  of  the  laws  of  widowhood.  If  they  can 
find  no  husband  for  the  widow,  she  finds  herself  under 
no  difficulties  ;  if  she  has  any  sons  of  an  age  to  support 
her,  she  may  continue  in  a  state  of  widowhood,  without 
danger  of  ever  wanting  any  thing;  if  she  is  willing  to 
marry  again,  she  may,  and  the  man  she  marries  becomes 
the  father  of  her  children  ;  he  enters  into  all  the  rights 
and  obligations  of  the  first  husband. 

The  husband  does  not  weep  for  his  wife,  because,  ac 
cording  to  the  savages,  tears  do  not  become  men  ;  but 
this  is  not  general  among  all  nations.  The  women  weep 
for  their  husbands  a  year  ;  they  call  him  without  ceasing, 
and  fill  their  village  with  cries  and  lamentations,  especi 
ally  at  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  at  noon,  in  some 
places  when  they  go  out  to  work,  and  when  they  return. 
Mothers  do  much  the  same  for  their  children.  The 
chiefs  mourn  only  six  months,  arid  may  afterwards  marry 
again. 

La  Roche  was  once  entertained  in  the  following  mari 
ner,  at  the  nuptials  of  a  Huron  chief: 

"  Next  morning  the  father  and  his  sons  proposed  to 
conduct  us  down  the  river  in  their  canoes  to  a  certain 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDL.  NS.  121 

place,  where  they  assured  us,  we  would  be  entertained 
with  all  the  ancient  amusements  of  the  Indians  ;  because 
their  chief,  a  young  man  of  about  nineteen  years  of  age, 
was  to  take  to  himself  a  wife  from  among  the  white  peo 
ple.  To  this  proposal  we  gave  our  consent,  a  small  fleet 
of  canoes  were  now  riding  on  the  river  and  waiting  our 
arrival.  The  ladies  who  accompanied  us  were  at  first 
as  timorous  as  the  mountain  shepherd,  when  first  he  em 
barks  on  the  billows  of  a  fathomless  ocean.  They  insist 
ed  that  #ie  Indians  should  set  off  alone  for  a  short  dis 
tance,  before  they  would  venture  into  skiffs  so  fragile  and 
so  apparently  insecure. 

"  The  athletic  youths  no  sooner  heard  the  word  start, 
than  a  well  contested  race  ensued  ;  a  boy  of  about  four 
teen  years  came  off  victorious  ;  he  was  the  son  of  him  by 
whom  we  were  entertained  the  night  previous  to  our  ex 
cursion.  Having  witnessed  the  extraordinary  dexterity 
which  the  Indians  displayed  in  managing  their  canoes, 
the  ladies  were  so  satisfied  with  the  skill  of  the  Indian 
mariners,  that  they  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  embark. 

"  The  morning  was  clear  and  serene,  and  the  water 
smooth  as  a  sheet  of  glass.  The  count,  in  order  to  ap 
prise  the  settlement  of  our  arrival,  as  they  were  notified 
the  previous  night  to  assemble  in  a  certain  place  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  sounded  the  key  bugle,  which  had  a 
charming  effect  on  the  water  and  re-echoed  from  hill  to 
hill.  Soon  a  vocal  concert  was  commenced  by  the  Ve 
netian  dames,  which  ravished  our  ears  with  the  most  me 
lodious  harmony.  The  paddling  oars  now  stood  motion 
less,  as  if  the  Indians  were  enchanted  with  the  song;  but 
the  gentle  stream  bore  us  down  amid  hills  and  dales. 
Still  sweeter  were  the  autumnal  strains  of  the  warblers 
of  the  grove,  which  cheered  the  birchen  fleet  as  they  pass 
ed  by  their  choir.  As  we  glided  along  the  verdant  banks 
of  the  mumuring  stream,  where  the  vaired  beauties  ot 
nature  graced  the  neat  cottages  which  peeped  through 
the  grove,  we  soon  observed  the  favoured  spot,  where  the 
Indians  had  assembled.  A  universal  cheer  pervaded  the 
11 


122  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

assemblage  as  we  landed.  The  bride  and  bridegroom 
stood  alone ;  she  was  dressed  in  silken  robes,  the  dress 
of  modern  days,  for  she  was  a  Canadienne,  while  he  in  the 
fierceness  of  ancient  times  wore  the  garb  of  an  Indian 
chief. 

"  The  mountain  dew  had  no  sooner  gone  round  than 
the  celebration  of  the  nuptials  commenced  with  the  war 
dance.  Four  songsters  or  bards  were  selected  from 
among  them,  and  two  drummers  who  formed  their  music 
al  band.  As  the  songs  commenced  and  the  drums  were 
beaten,  the  ring  was  all  in  motion.  The  happy  couple 
were  now  in  the  centre  of  the  ring  and  performed  the 
same  motions.  Twenty-five  couples  moved  in  a  circular 
line.  Their  dance  resembled  a  trotting  cheval,  while 
that  of  the  squaws  is  not  very  unlike  a  favourite  dance 
among  the  Europeans,  called  the  Hornpipe  ;  for  they 
move  onwards  and  keep  their  toes  and  heels  alternately 
close  together,  without  leaping  to  the  cadence  of  the 
music.  After  the  dance  was  over,  they  began  to  practice 
their  national  athletic  exercises,  as  if  celebrating  the 
Olympic  games  of  the  Greeks.  In  running  they  display 
ed  an  extraordinary  agility  of  limbs.  They  would,  I 
have  no  doubt,  excel  the  swiftest  that  ever  ran  on  the 
Grecian  sands.  In  leaping  they  would  not  be  inferior  to 
Diomedes,  for  I  saw  them  leap,  with  a  run,  seven-and- 
twenty  feet.  But  what  most  astonished  us,  was  their 
celerity  in  gaining1  the  summit  of  a  very  steep  hill,  almost 
perpendicular.  The  squirrels  themselves  could  scarcely 
surpass  them  in  climbing  the  lofty  and  branchless  pine. 
Like  an  Arabian  charger,  they  ran  at  full  speed  towards 
the  river,  and  stopt  instantly  at  the  very  brink  of  an  eleva 
ted  bank.  When  all  the  performances  were  ended,  they 
sat  down  on  the  green  turf  to  feast  on  the  venison  which 
the  bridegroom  had  procured :  for  it  is  usual  among  the 
Indians,  that  the  bridegroom  must  furnish  on  his  wedding 
game  sufficient  to  entertain  his  friends. 

"  The  mountain   dew  was  circulated   in   abundance, 
and  more  enthusiastic  cheers  than  those  with  which  they 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  123 

drank  the  healths  of  the  newly  married  couple,  I  never 
witnessed.  Having  signified  our  departure  after  dinner, 
an  elderly  man,  the  chief  of  a  tribe,  stepped  put  of  the 
ranks  and  addressed  us  with  a  mournful  but  rnanly  air, 
in  the  following  tender  manner,  which  he  ordered  to  be 
interpreted  to  us : 

"  '  Take  with  you  our  hearts'  warm  thanks  and  bless 
ings,  for  you  are  possessed  of  liberal  and  generous  souls. 
May  the  journey  of  your  life  be  in  the  sunshine  and 
smiles  of  fortune.  May  soft  breezes  waft  your  bark  on 
a  smooth  sea  ,to  your  native  shore.  May  your  footsteps 
tread  on  the  green  grass,  and  may  the  violet  and  the  rose 
spring  up  under  your  feet  whithersoever  you  go.' 

"  We  took  our  leave  of  the  grateful  Indians,  congratu 
lating  ourselves  o-n  our  successful  adventures.  This  ex 
cursion  will,  I  am  sure,  form  a  golden  subject  for  the 
conversazioni  of  Venice  ;  for  Donnabella  failed  not  to  de 
pict  every  scene.  In  the  evening  we  retired  to  the  house 
of  an  English  gentleman.  His  elegant  cottage  stood  on 
a  lofty  cliff  which  commanded  a  pleasing  prospect  at  even 
tide.  When  the  last  ray  of  the  golden  light  was  illumi 
nating  the  west,  we  took  our  seat  on  the  side  of  a  hill ; 
here  we  sat  and  mused  till  the  pale  moon  broke  through 
the  clouds  and  tipped  the  waters  beneath  with  its  soft 
and  silvery  light,  while  the  forest  tops  were  tinged  with 
the  light  moonshine.  Before  us  opened  in  a  contracted 
view,  the  dark  and  lonely  woods ;  through  them  whisp 
ered  a  gentle  breeze,  such  as  the  mournful  echo  of  some 
distant  flute.  Beneath  we  beheld  a  serpentine  stream 
which  broke  through  the  shade  of  a  dark  and  distant 
forest ;  on  its  limpid  waters  were  mirrored  the  silver 
moon  and  the  celestial  orbs.  As  if  greeted  with  a  mur 
muring  voice  the  height  whence  we  gazed,  and  rolled 
along  in  the  silence  of  night,  to  pursue  its  nocturnal 
course,  we  were  reminded  of  the  journey  of  our  life  and 
the  time  which  glides  along,  never  to  return.  The  nup 
tial  feast  was  still  continued  on  the  plains  beneath,  and 
well  might  we  say  with  the  poet. 


ORIGJN    OF    THE 

" '  Blest  are  those* feasts  with  simple  plenty  crown  d, 
Where  the  rural  family  around, 
Boast  of  the  blessings  of  the  lowly  tram, 
Which  the  rich  deride  and  the  proud  disdain, 
To  them  more  dear,  congenial  to  their  hearts, 
One  native  charm,  than  all  the  gloss  of  art : 
Spontaneous  joys,  where  nature  has  its  play, 
The  soul  adopts  and  owns  their  first  born  sway ; 
Lightly  they  frolic  o'er  the  vacant  mind, 
Unenvy'd,  unmolested,  unconfin'd.' 

"Between  the  hours  of  nine  and  ten  we  hastened 
home  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  to  muse  on  the  excursion 
of  the  day  and  the  pleasures  of  the  evening  view.'' 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  Indians  have  also  their 
merriments  on  occasions  of  this  sort ;  although  their 
marriages  go  off  more  commonly  without  any  ceremony. 

There  are  in  all  nations  some  considerable  families, 
which  cannot  marry  but  among  themselves,  especially 
among  the  Algonquins.  In  general,  the  stability  of  mar 
riages  is  sacred  in  this  country,  and  for  the  most  part 
they  consider,  as  a  great  disorder,  those  agreements 
which  some  persons  make  to  live  together  as  long  as  they 
like,  and  to  separate  when  they  are  tired  of  each  other. 
A  husband  who  should  forsake  his  wife,  without  any 
lawful  cause,  must  expect  many  insults  from  her  rela 
tions  ;  and  a  woman  who  should  leave  her  husband  with 
out  being  forced  to  it  by  his  ill  conduct,  would  pass  her 
time  still  worse. 

Among  the  Miamis,  the  husband  has  a  right  to  cut  off 
his  wife's  nose  if  she  runs  away  from  him  ;  but  among 
the  Iroquois  and  the  Hurons,  they  may  part  by  consent. 
This  is  done  without  noise,  and  the  parties  thus  separa 
ted  may  marry  again.  They  cannot  even  conceive  that 
there  can  be  any  crime  in  this.  "  My  wife  and  I  cannot 
agree  together,"  said  one  of  them  to  a  missionary  who 
endeavoured  to  make  him  comprehend  the  indecency  of 
such  a  separation  ;  "  my  neighbour's  case  was  the  same, 
we  changed  wives  and  we  were  all  happy;  for  nothing 
is  more  reasonable  than  to  make  each  other  happy,  when 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  125 

it  is  so  cheaply  done  without  wronging  any  body." 
Nevertheless,  this  custom,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
is  looked  upon  as  an  abuse,  and  is  not  ancient,  at  least 
among  the  Iroquois. 

Among  some  nations  of  the  Indians,  treaties  of  mar- 
rages  are  carried  on  by  the  parents  alone.  The  parties 
interested  do  not  appear  at  all ;  they  give  themselves  up 
entirely  to  the  will  of  those  on  whom  they  depend  ;  how 
ever,  the  parents  come  to  no  conclusion  without  the  con 
sent  of  those  who  are  to  be  married. 

If  a  girl  continues  too  long  without  being  courted,  her 
family  generally  contrive  to  find  her  a  suitor.  On  this 
occasion  they  act  with  a  great  deal  of  precaution.  In 
some  places  the  women  are  not  in  haste  to  be  married, 
because  they  are  allowed  to  make  trials  of  it  when  they 
can,  and  the  ceremony  of  marriage  only  changes  their 
condition  for  the  worse. 

In  general  there  is  a  great  deal  of  modesty  observed  in 
the  behaviour  of  the  young  people  whilst  they  treat  of 
their  marriages  ;  and  they  say  that  it  was  quite  otherwise 
in  ancient  times.  But  what  is  almost  incredible,  al 
though  it  has  been  attested  by  good  authors,  is,  that  in 
many  places  the  new  nmrried  couple  are  together  a 
whole  year,  living  in  a  perfect  continence.  This  they 
do  in  order  to  show  that  they  married  for  friendship,  and 
not  to  gratify  a  sensual  passion.  A  young  woman,  they 
say,  would  even  be  pointed  at,  who  should  happen  to  be 
with  child  the  first  year  of  her  marriage. 

After  this  it  will  be  easier  to  believe  what  is  said  of 
the  behaviour  of  the  young  people  during  their  courtship, 
in  the  places  where  they  are  allowed  to  see  one  another 
in  private.  For  though  custom  allows  them  to  hold  very 
private  meetings,  yet  in  the  greatest  danger  that  chastity 
can  be  exposed  to,  and  even  under  the  veil  of  night,  they 
jay,  that  nothing  passes  against  the  rules  of  the  strictest 
decorum,  arid  that  not  even  a  word  is  spoken  that  can 
give  the  least  offence  to  modesty. 

Although  we  have  already  alluded  to  the  ceremonies 
11* 


126  ORIGIN   OF    THE 

of  marriages,  still,  perhaps,  it  may  not  oe  improper  to  offer 
the  following  observations  of  a  missionary  who  resided 
a  long  time  amongst  the  Indians  : — "  I  find  in  all  that 
has  been  written  of  the  preliminaries  and  ceremonies  ot 
the  marriages  of  these  people,  various  accounts  proceed 
ing  either  from  the  different  customs  of  divers  nations, 
or  from  the  little  care  the  authors  of  relations  took  to  be 
well  informed.  The  intended  husband  must  make  pre 
sents,  and  in  this,  as  in  every  thing  else,  nothing  can  ex 
ceed  the  discretion  with  which  he  behaves,  and  the  re 
spectful  behaviour  which  he  shows  to  his  future  spouse. 
In  some  places  the  young  man  is  contented  to  go  and  sit 
by  the  side  of  the  young  woman  in  her  cabin,  and  if  she 
suffers  it  and  continue  in  her  place,  it  is  taken  for  her 
consent,  and  the  marriage  is  concluded.  But  in  the 
midst  of  this  deference  and  respect,  he  gives  some  tokens 
that  he  will  soon  be  master.  In  fact  among  the  presents 
she  receives,  there  are  some  which  ought  less  to  be  regard 
ed  as  marks  of  friendship,  than  as  symbols  and  notices  of 
the  slavery  to  which  she  is  going  to  be  reduced  ;  such  are 
the  collar,  which  is  a  long  and  broad  band  of  leather 
which  serves  to  draw  burdens,  the  kettle  and  a  billet 
which  are  carried  to  her  cabin.  This  is  to  let  her  know, 
that  she  is  to  carry  the  burdens,  dress  the  provisions,  and 
get  wood  for  firing.  The  custom  is  also  in  some  places 
for  her  to  bring  before  hand  into  tjie  cabin,  where  she  is 
to  dwell  after  marriage,  all  the  wood  that  will  be  wanted 
•next  winter.  And  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  in  all  I  have 
just  said,  there  is  no  difference  between  the  nations, 
where  the  women  have  all  the  authority,  and  those 
where  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  affairs  of  govern 
ment.  These  same  women  who  are  in  some  degree  the 
mistresses  of  the  state,  at  least  for  form,  and  who  make 
the  principal  body  of  it,  when  they  have  attained  a  cer 
tain  age,  and  have  children  in  a  condition  to  make  them 
respectable,  are  not  at  all  respected  before  this  and  are 
in  their  domestic  affairs  the  slaves  of  their  husbands." 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  127 

MARRIAGE  AMONG  THE  TONGUSI.  CORIAKS,  AND 
KAMSCHADALES. 

"  In  the  marriage  of  the  Tongusi,"  says  Abernethy, 
"  many  ceremonies  are  used,  but  the  principal  and  indis 
pensable  one  is,  the  offering-  of  a  plate  of  corn  or  some 
game  to  the  bride  by  her  intended  husband.  Among 
several  tribes  of  the  Tongusi,  marriage  is  attended  with 
dancing,  music,  and  a  variety  of  games  and  sports  which 
sometimes  continue  for  several  days.  There  are  others 
who  do  not  exhibit  any  mark  of  rejoicing  on  these  oc 
casions.  Among  some,  the  contract  is  conducted  by 
their  parents,  while  others  allow  the  lovers  to  choose  and 
come  to  an  agreement.  They  frequently  bestow  presents 
on  each  other,  in  order  to  ascertain  each  other's  minds, 
for  the  acceptance  of  these  gifts  is  a  sure  mark  of  their 
consent.  The  husband  generally  takes  his  wife  among 
his  own  relations,  where  she  spends  several  weeks,  and 
is  entertained  with  kindness  and  hospitality. 

"If  the  husband  be  a  hunter,  which  is  generally  the 
case,  for  the  greater  part  of  them  procure  their  subsistence 
either  by  hunting  or  fishing,  everydomestic  charge  is  de 
volved  on  the  wife ;  still  there  are  some  who  attend  to 
agriculture  and  the  rearing  of  cattle.  Nothing  can  ex 
ceed  the  modesty  which  both  the  bride  and  bridegroom 
assume  on  the  night  they  are  wedded  ;  and  I  have  also 
been  told  that  a  separation  frequently  takes  place  a  week 
or  two  after  they  are  married,  by  reason  of  her  desire  to 
live  four  weeks  in  perfect  continence.  This,  however,  is 
not  generally  true,  for  I  observed  that  chastity  was  very 
often  violated,  among  them,  before  they  are  legally 
united.  Among  the  Coriaks  there  are  many  tribes  or 
families  who  never  marry  but  among  themselves.  Here 
the  woman  signifies  her  consent  by  keeping  the  present 
which  he  sends  her ;  if  she  returns  it,  he  never  sends 
it  to  another.  Although  the  women  are  the  slaves 
of  their  husbands  in  the  domestic  affairs,  still  they 
are  very  much  respected  when  they  attain  a  certain  age, 


128  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

and  they  even  contribute  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  govern 
ment,  under  the  title  of  the  Mistresses  of  the  State. 
Their  contracts  of  marriage  are  binding  no'  longer  than 
both  parties  are  willing.  If  a  separation  takes  place,  the 
mother  takes  the  children  with  her  to  her  relations ; 
however,  it  is  not  a  common  thing  to  see  them  separate 
after  they  have  children." 

Santini  tells  us  that  he  was  once  entertained  by  the 
Kamschadales  at  the  celebration  of  the  nuptials  of  a 
Kamschadalian  chief.  His  description  of  the  merry  fes 
tivities  corresponds  with  the  Olympic  games  which  were 
observed  among  the  Hurons  of  North  America  on  a  sim 
ilar  occasion  : 

"Era  annuriciato  fra  tutte  le  famiglie  chi  apparteneva- 
no  al  principe,  che  le  nozze  del  loro  principaie  fossero  ce 
lebrate  il  giorno  seguente.  Tutte  le  signore  e  signori 
del  paese  si  apparechiavano  all'  allegrezza  sopraunmonte 
vicino  al  capo  del  la  nazione.  Nella  mattina  del  giorno 
nominato  vi  era  una  grande  compagnia  nel  luogo  dove  si 
devono  radunare.  Avevano  dei  musici  e  dei  cantatori  di 
guerra.  Danzavano  con  movimenti  circoluri.  II  sposo 
e  la  sposa  stavano  nel  mezzo  e  cantavano  una  canzone 
per  la  loro  futura  felicita.  Dopo  questo  comminciavano 
a  correre,  saltare,  e  scoccare  dei  dardi.  Questa  scena  mi 
ridusse  alia  memoria  gli  esercizii  dei  Greci  antichi. 
Q,uest'  usanza  di  festeggiamenti  ai  sposaiizii  non  si  trova 
per  tutto  questo  paese.  Soventemente  vanno  insieme 
senza  alcun  ceremonio,  dopo  che  si  ottene  il  consenso  dei 
parenti.  Q,uando  fanno  I'amore,  che  non  sara  lungo 
tempo,  si  regala  qualche  cosa  dall'  uomo  alia  donna,  e 
1'accettazione  di  questo  e  un  certo  indizio  deli'  approba- 
zione." 

"  It  was  announced,"  says  Santini,  "  among  the  rela 
tions  of  the  prince,  that  his  nuptials  were  to  be  celebrated 
the  following  day.  All  the  damsels  and  young  men,  and 
the  old  of  both  sexes  prepared  themselves  for  the  ap 
proaching  festivities.  Agreeably  to  the  request,  crowds 
were  seen  repairing  to  the  favoured  spot,  which  was  the 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  129 

summit  of  a  beautiful  hill  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
residence  of  the  chief,  the  intended  spouse.  Musicians  and 
singers  of  war  were  there  to  inspire  their  minds  with 
mirth  and  sentiments  of  bravery  and  heroism.  Having 
formed  a  ring  round  the  wedded  couple,  who  at  the  time 
sang  a  song  for  their  own  future  happiness  and  prosperity, 
they  danced  and  moved  in  a  circular  way.  The  dance 
was  then  superseded  by  their  athletic  exercises,  which 
consisted  in  running,  leaping,  and  shooting  arrows.  The 
scene  at  once  reminded  me  of  the  Olympic  games  of  the 
ancient  Greeks.  These  rejoicings  and  amusements  at 
the  marriages  of  the  Kamschadalesare  not  at  all  general. 
In  some  parts  of  this  country  they  frequently  go  together 
without  any  ceremony,  if  the  consent  of  their  parents  be 
obtained.  Their  courtship  commonly  lasts  no  longer 
than  the  time  which  is  consumed  in  sending  a  present  to 
the  woman,  which,  if  she  accepts  of  it,  is  a  mark  of  her 
approbation." 


WAR  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

The  youth  of  these  various  tribes  are  much  addicted 
to  war.  While  we  thus  express  ourself  in  the  present 
tense,  let  us  be  understood  as  describing  the  Indian  some 
centuries  ago.  Accustomed  to  hear  the  exploits  of  their 
forefathers  related  with  admiration,  they  become  impa 
tient  to  signalize  themselves  in  the  same  career.  The 
usual  avowed  causes  of  war  among  the  Indians,  are  to 
secure  their  right  of  hunting  within  certain  bounds  ;  to 
maintain  their  claims  to  their  own  territories ;  or  to 
avenge  the  death  of  such  of  their  tribe  as  may  have  fallen 
in  former  conflicts. 

Every  tribe  has  a  band  of  warriors.  This  consists  of 
all  the  males  of  the  nation,  from  fifteen  years  of  age  to 
sixty.  Their  arms  are  bows  and  arrows,  and  war  clubs. 
The  head  of  this  club  is  about  three  inches  and  a  half  in 


130  OXIGIN    OF    THE 

diameter,  with  an  edge  of  flint  or  steel  fixed  in  one  side  of 
it.  Since  their  intercourse  with  Europeans,  they  have  sub 
stituted  the  musket,  for  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  the  toma 
hawk  for  their  war  club ;  to  these  they  have  now  added  a 
scalping  knife,  and  a  dagger.  These  warriors  are  under 
the  command  of  the  war  chief. 

When  the  assembly  of  chiefs  and  elders  have  determined 
that  war  is  necessary,  they  endeavour  to  persuade  the 
warriors  to  take  arms.  "  The  bones  of  our  deceased  coun 
trymen,"  they  say,  "lie  uncovered;  they  cry  to  us  to  avenge 
their  wrongs;  their  spirit  must  be  appeased.  The  invisible 
guardians  of  our  honour  inspire  us  with  a  resolution  to 
seek  the  murderers  of  our  brothers.  Let  us  go  and  devour 
those  by  whom  they  were  slain.  Sit  not,  therefore,  in 
active.  Give  way  to  your  valour.  Annoint  your  hair. 
Paint  your  faces.  Fill  your  quivers.  •  Make  the  forests  re 
sound  with  your  songs.  Console  the  spirit  of  the  dead,  and 
tell  them  they  shall  be  avenged." 

The  warriors  immediately  raise  the  war  song,  and  de 
mand  to  be  led  against  the  enemy.  The  chief  who  is  to 
be  their  leader  paints  himself  black :  fasts  several  days  and 
avoids  all  conversation  with  those  of  the  tribe.  By  this 
means  he  hopes  to  conciliate  the  favour  of  the  Great  Spirit 
and  to  avert  the  malevolence  of  the  evil  one.  He  carefully 
observes  his  dreams,  which  generally  portend  success.  Some 
people  have  fancied  that  this  fasting  arose  from  a  desire 
to  accustom  themselves  to  hunger  ;  but  according  to  their 
own  notions,  we  are  informed,  that  they  do  it  purely  from  a 
religious  motive.  It  is  no  less  certain  also  that  they  esteem 
their  dreams  as  real  oracles  and  notices  from  heaven.  Those 
Indians  who  are  in  any  trouble  of  mind,  it  is  said,  frequently 
lie  down  to  sleep  in  order  to  communicate  with  these 
oracles. 

Having  fasted  the  appointed  time,  he  takes  a  belt  of 
wampum  in  his  hand,  and  addresses  his  warriors,  informing 
them  of  all  the  motives  for  the  war,  and  of  the  success  which 
the  Great  Spirit  has  promised  to  their  arms.  He  then  lays 
down  the  belt,  and  he  who  takes  it  up  is  second  in  com- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    IN'DIANS.  *  131 

mand.  The  chief  removes -the  black  paint,  and  is  painted 
red.  He  sings  the  war  song  and  makes  a  devotional  address 
to  the  Great  Spirit,  in  which  he  is  joined  by  all  the  war 
riors.  They  then  perform  the  war  dance,  and  conclude 
with  a  feast  of  dogs'  flesh.  The  chief,  though  he  has  fasted 
so  long,  seldom  partakes  of  this  feast ;  he  recounts  the 
valiant  actions  of  himself  and  his  ancestors.  From  this 
time  till  their  departure  on  their  expedition,  every  day  ". 
spent  in  preparation,  and  every  night  in  feasting. 

A  hatchet  painted  red  is  sent  to  the  nation  which  they 
are  to  attack.  This  is  the  declaration  of  war ;  a  dangerous 
commission,  which  is  generally  discharged  by  a  slave,  and 
often  proves  fatal  to  him. 

When  the  Indians  set  out  on  their  march,  a  mat  is  all 
they  take  besides  their;  arms.  They  maintain  themselves  on 
their  way  by  hunting.  If  not  near  the  enemy's  country, 
they  are  quite  unguarded,  separating  in  small  parties  during 
the  day,  for  the  convenience  of  hunting  ;  but  taking  care  at 
night,  to  return  to  their  camp,  which  is  pitched  before  sun 
set.  By  the  sun  and  their  knowledge  of  the  country,  they 
direct  their  different  routes  so  well  that  they  never  fail  of 
meeting  at  the  appointed  place.  When  they  have  entered 
the  enemy's  country,  a  very  different  conduct  is  observed  ; 
circumspection  now  attends  the  minutest  actions.  The 
game  is  no  longer  pursued ;  they  are  not  even  permitted  to 
speak ;  they  converse  by  signs ;  they  are  sensible  that  they 
themselves  have  much  sagacity  in  discovering  an  enemy, 
and  they  rightly  conclude  that  enemies  have  no  less.  The 
Indians,  indeed,  possess  a  degree  of  sagacity,  in  this  respect, 
which  can  scarcely  be  conceived  by  civilized  nations.  At 
a  very  great  distance,  they  discover  habitations  by  the  smell 
of  the  fire.  They  perceive  the  track  of  a  foot  on  the 
smoothest  grass,  and  on  the  hardest  substance.  From  the 
track  they  discover,  with  amazing  certainty,  the  nation,  the 
sex,  the  stature  of  the  person  who  has  passed,  and  the  time 
tl  at  has  elapsed  since  the  track  was  formed.  It  is  not  easy 
to  avoid  an  enemy  so  sagacious.  It  becomes  the  great  con 
cern  of  both  parties,  therefore,  to  conceal  their  own  traces 


132  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

and  discover  those  of  their  opponents.  For  the  former 
purpose  they  use  all  precautions  ;  they  follow  each  other  in 
a  single  line,  each  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  those  before 
him;  while  the  last  carefully  conceals  their  track  by  throw 
ing  leaves  upon  it.  If  they  discover  a  rivulet  on  their  way, 
they  march  in  it,  the  more  effectually  to  deceive  their 
enemies.  Their  precautions  increase  as  they  approach  their 
adversaries ;  they  march  only  during  the  night,  and  during 
the  day  form  a  continual  ambuscade.  If  they  succeed  in 
discovering  their  enemies  without  themselves  being  dis 
covered,  they  immediately  hold  a  council,  in  which  they  only 
whisper,  and  thus  plan  the  dreadful  scene  which  is  to  be 
acted.  Immediately  before  daybreak,  at  the  time  when 
their  adversaries  are  supposed  to  be  immersed  in  the  sound 
est  sleep,  they  approach  them  o-n  their  hands  and  knees,  till 
within  bow-shot.  The  chief  gives  a  signal ;  they  start  up, 
and  with  a  horrid  yell  discharge  their  arrows.  Taking 
advantage  of  the  confusion,  they  rush  forwyard,  and  wyith 
their  tomahawks  complete  the  carnage.  Without  some 
evident  advantage  of  this  kind,  an  Indian  seldom  engages ; 
for  he  expects  no  praise  for  a  victory  which  is  purchased 
with  the  lives  of  any  of  his  party. 

Having  secured  the  victory,  and  despatched  all  who 
wrould  be  troublesome  to  them  on  their  return,  they  make 
the  rest  prisoners.  They  then  scalp  the  dead  and  wounded ; 
twisting  the  hair  round  their  left  hand  and  setting  their  foot 
on  the  person's  neck,  with  a  few  strokes  of  the  scalp- 
ing-knife,  they  dexterously  separate  the  scalp  from  the 
head,  and  preserve  it  as  a  monument  of  their  victory. 
They  never  dispute  about  the  division  of  their  prisoners. 
He  who  is  apprehensive  of  being  wronged,  with  his  toma 
hawk  soon  despatches  the  unhappy  cause  of  their  contest. 
They  now  turn  their  faces  towards  their  own  country,  and 
if  apprehensive  of  being  pursued  they  use  the  same  precau 
tions  with  which  they  advanced.  If  all  these  precautions 
do  not  conceal  them,  they  slay  all  their  prisoners  and  each 
taking  a  separate  road  homewards,  they  put  an  effectual 
stop  to  the  searches  of  an  enemy.  If  they  proceed  in 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  133 

security, they  are  very  careful  to  watch  their  prisoners; 
who  during  the.  day  are  constantly  held  by  some  of  their 
conquerors,  and  during  the  night  are  fastened  to  the  ground 
by  the  arms,  the  legs,  and  the  neck,  and  cords  from  all  these 
places  are  held  by  an  Indian,  who  is  instantly  awaked  by 
the  smallest  motion.  The  prisoners  often  during  the  night 
time  sing  their  death  song.  "  I  am  going  to  die,"  they  ex 
claim,  "  but  will  not  shrink  from  the  tortures  inflicted  by  my 
enemies.  I  will  die  like  a  warrior,  and  go  to  join  those 
chiefs  who  have  suffered  before  me." 

When  they  approach  their  tents,  they  announce  their 
arrival  by  different  cries.  The  number  of  war  whoops 
indicate  how  many  prisoners  they  have  taken.  The  number 
of  death  cries,  indicate  how  many  of  their  companions  they 
have  lost.  The  whole  village  meets  them  to  learn  the 
particulars.  They  form  a  line  through  which  the  prisoners 
are  obliged  to  pass ;  and  they  beat  them  with  sticks  from  one 
end  to  the  other.  By  a  council  which  is  immediately  held, 
their  fate  is  soon  determined.  Those  who  are  condemned 
to  die  are  delivered  to  the  war  chief ;  those  who  are  spared  are 
to  be  given  to  the  chief  of  the  nation.  A  prisoner  is  no 
sooner  condemned  than  he  is  led  to  execution.  He  is  bound 
to  the  stake/while,  for  the  last  time,  he  sings  his  death  song. 
He  is  then  burned  and  expires  with  that  ferocious  courage 
which  distinguishes  an  Indian  warrior.  If  he  be  a  chief 
who  has  given  proofs  of  his  prowess  in  former  engagements 
with  his  enemies,  they  frequently  give  his  fortitude  a  severe 
trial,  by  the  infliction  of  the  most  dreadful  torments.  Ter 
ror  finds  no  place  on  the  one  hand,  nor  pity  on  the  other. 
The  victim  glories  in  his  torments  as  unequivocal  marks  of 
the  opinion  entertained  of  him  by  his  tormentors.  He 
boast  of  the  victories  he  has  obtained  over  their  nation :  he 
enumerates  the  scalps  which,  he  possesses;  he  recapitulates 
the  manner  in  which  he  has  treated  his  prisoners,  and  re 
proaches  them  with  ignorance  in  the  act  of  torture.  This 
scene,  it  is  said,  sometimes  continues  with  little  intermission 
for  several  days,  till  the  prisoner  is  exhausted,  but  not 
humbled,  expires  without  a  sigh,  or  till  his  taunts  provoke 
12 


134  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

his  tormentors  to  frustrate  their  own  designs  by  putting  a 
speedy  end  to  his  existence.  The  tortures  made  use  of  on 
these  occasions  are  of  various  kinds,  but  all  of  them  are 
such  only  as  a  savage  heart  could  conceive,  or  a  savage 
hand  could  inflict,  and  that  only  when  prompted  by  that 
deadly  animosity  which  cannot  exist,  but  among  barbarous 
tribes. 

It  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  these  tortures  are  often  in 
flicted.  None  ever  suffer  them  but  a  chief,  who  has  distin 
guished  himself  in  war.  Burning  is  the  general  way  of 
putting  prisoners  to  death,  and  but  few  of  them  suffer  even 
in  that  manner.  A  great  part  are  delivered  to  the  chief 
of  the  nation,  and  distributed  to  those  who  have  lost  their 
husbands,  sons  or  other  relations  in  the  war.  They  are  by 
them  generally  adopted  into  their  respective  families ;  and 
if  they  conduct  themselves  properly  and  seem  contented 
with  their  condition,  they  experience  that  tenderness  and 
regard  which  belong  to  those  whose  places  they  fill. 
They  have  no  chance  of  returning  to  their  own  tribe,  for  the 
Indians  esteem  all  who  permit  themselves  to  be  made  pris 
oners  as  being  unworthy  of  life,  and  would  not  receive  them, 
could  they  make  their  escape.  The  prisoners  who  are  not 
adopted  into  some  family,  are  made  slaves,  and  are  often 
disposed  of  to  Europeans  for  spirituous  liquors ;  a  custom 
introduced  by  the  French  missionaries  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  the  torturing  of  prisoners  of  war. 

The  animosity  of  savages  is  hereditary,  and  can  seldom 
be  extinguished  5  when  peace  becomes  necessary,  therefore, 
it  is  not  easy  to  bring  about  the  preliminaries.  Even  when 
an  Indian  is  brought  to  the  last  extremity,  he  will  seldom 
confess  that  peace  is  necessary  for  him ;  he  tries  to  show 
that  it  is  the  interest  of  his  adversary ;  and  generally  employs 
a  mediator  who  is  a  friend  to  both  parties.  A  few  of  the 
most  respectable  heads  of  the  tribe,  attended  by  those  chiefs 
who  have  undertaken  to  be  mediators,  proceed  to  that  nation 
with  which  they  are  to  treat.  Before  them  is  carried  the 
)ipe  of  peace,  a  sacred  symbol,  the  rights  of  which  no 
lian  will  presume  to  violate.  This  pipe  is  about  four 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  135 

feet  long  ;  its  bowl  is  of  red  marbel ;  its  stem  of  wood  adorn 
ed  with  feathers,  and  painted  with  hieroglyphics.  From 
the  variety  of  these  ornaments  an  Indian  can  immediately 
judge  to  what  nation  it  belongs.  Having  reached  the  en 
campment  of  the  hostile  nation,  an  inferior  chief  fills  the 
pipe  of  peace  with  tobacco,  and  having  lighted  it,  presents 
it  first  to  heaven,  then  to  earth,  and  lastly,  in  a  cirele  to  all 
parts  of  the  horizon ;  thereby  invoking  all  the  spirits  that 
dwTell  in  heaven,  in  earth  and  air,  to  be  present  at  the 
treaty.  He  next  presents  it  to  the  hereditary  chief,  who 
takes  a  few  quiffs,  blowing  the  smoke,  first  towards  heaven, 
and  then  around  him  towards  the  earth.  In  their  turns,  it 
it  is  presented  to  all  the  chiefs  in  gradations,  none  pre 
suming  to  touch  it  but  with  their  lips.  A  council  is  imme 
diately  held,  and  if  the  parties  agree,  a  red  hatchet  is  buried 
as  a  symbol  of  the  promised  oblivion  of  their  animosity. 
A  belt  made  of  a  kind  of  shells,  commonly  called  a  belt  of 
wampum,  is  made  use  of  on  this  occasion;  and  by  the 
arrangement  of  the  shells,  records  to  posterity  every  stipu 
lation  of  the  treaty. 

With  this  account,  which  is  given  us  in  an  eminent 
Geography,  the  following  observations  by  the  Bishop  of 
Meaux,  are  concordant : 

"  As  soon  as  all  the  warriors  are  embarked,  the  canoes 
at  first  go  a  little  way  and  range  themselves  close  together 
upon  a  line  ;  then  the  chief  rises  up,  and  holding  a  Chichi- 
coue  in  his  hand,  he  thunders  out  his  song  of  war,  and  his 
soldiers  answer  him  by  a  treble  He,  drawn  with  all  their 
strength  from  the  bottom  of  their  breasts.  The  elders  and 
chiefs  of  the  council  who  remain  on  the  shore,  exhort  the 
warriors  to  behave  well,  and  especially  not  to  suffer  them 
selves  to  be  surprised.  Of  all  the  advices  that  can  be  giv 
en  to  a  savage,  this  is  the  most  necessary.  This  exhorta 
tion  does  not  interrupt  the  chief  who  continues  singing. 
Lastly  the  warriors  conjure  their  relations  and  friends  not  to 
forget  them.  Then  sending  forth  all  together  hideous  howl- 
ings,  they  set  off  directly,  and  row  with  such  speed  that  they 
are  soon  out  of  sight 


136  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

"  The  Hurons  and  the  Iroquois  do  not  use  the  Chichicoue, 
but  they  give  them  to  their  prisoners ;  so  that  these  instru 
ments,  which  among  others  is  an  instrument  of  war,  seem 
among  them  to  be  a  mark  of  slavery.  The  warriors  seldom 
make  any  short  marches,  especially  when  the  troop  is  nu 
merous  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  they  take  presages  from 
every  thing ;  and  the  jugglers,  whose  business  it  is  to  ex 
plain  them,  hasten  or  retard  their  march  at  their  pleasure. 
Whilst  they  are  not  in  a  suspected  country,  they  take  no 
precaution,  and  frequently  one  shall  scarce  find  two  or  three 
warriors  together,  each  taking  his  own  way  to  hunt ;  but 
how  far  soever  they  stray  from  the  route,  they  all  return 
punctually  to  the  place,  and  at  the  hour  appointed  for  their 
rendezvous.  They  encamp  a  long  time  before  sunset,  and 
commonly  they  leave  before  the  camp  a  large  space  sur 
rounded  with  palisades,  or  rather  a  sort  of  lattice,  on  which 
they  place  their  Ma?iitous,  turned  towards  the  place  they 
are  going  to.  They  invoke  them  for  an  hour,  and  they  do 
the  same  every  morning  before  they  decamp.  After  this 
they  think  they  have  nothing  to  fear,  they  suppose  that  the 
spirits  take  upon  them  to  be  sentinels,  and  all  the  army 
sleeps  quietly  under  their  supposed  safeguard.  Experience 
does  not  undeceive  these  barbarians,  nor  bring  them  out  of 
their  presumptuous  confidence.  It  has  its  source  in  an  indo 
lence  and  laziness  which  nothing  can  conquer.  Every  one  is 
an  enemy  in  the  way  of  the  warriors,  but  nevertheless,  if  they 
meet  any  of  their  allies,  or  any  parties  nearly  equal  in  force 
of  people,  with  whom  they  have  no  quarrel  they  make 
friendship  with  each  other.  If  the  allies  they  meet  are  at  war 
with  the  same  enemy,  the  chief  of  the  strongest  party,  or  oi 
that  which  took  up  arms  first,  gives  some  scalps  ( to  the 
other,  which  they  are  always  pro\ided  with  for  these  oc- 
cassions,  and  says  to  him,  "  You  have  done  your  hisiness  /' 
that  is  to  say,  "  you  have  fulfilled  your  engagement,  your 
honour  is  safe,  you  may  return  home."  But  this  is  to  be 
understood  when  the  meeting  is  accidental,  when  they  have 
not  appointed  them,  and  when  they  have  no  occassion  for  a 
reinforcement.  When  they  are  just  entering  on  an  enemy's 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


137 


country,  they  stop  for  a  ceremony  which  is  somewhat 
singular. 

"  At  night  they  make  a  great  feast,  after  which  they  lie 
down ;  as  soon  as  they  are  awake,  those  who  have  had  any 
dreams  go  from  fire  to  fire,  singing  their  song  of  death, 
with  which  they  intermix  their  dreams  in  an  enigmatical 
manner.  Every  one  racks  his  brains  to  guess  them,  and  if 
nobody  can  do  it,  those  who  have  dreamt  are  at  liberty  to 
return  home.  This  gives  a  fine  opportunity  to  cowards. 
Then  they  make  new  invocations  to  the  Spirits  ;  they  ani 
mate  each  other  more  than  ever  to  do  wonders ;  they  swear 
to  assist  each  other,  and  then  they  renew  their  inarch ;  and 
if  they  come  thither  by  water,  they  quit  their  canoes,  which 
they  hide  very  carefully.  If  every  thing  was  observed  that 
is  prescribed  on  these  occasions,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
surprise  a  party  of  war  that  is  entered  into  an  enemy's 
country.  They  ought  to  make  no  more  fires,  no  more  cries, 
nor  hunt  any  more,  nor  even  speak  to  each  other  but 
by  signs.  But  these  laws  are  sometimes  violated.  Every 
savage  is  born  presumptuous,  and  incapable  of  the  least  re 
straint.  They  seldom  neglect,  however,  to  send  out  every 
evening  some  rangers,  who  consume  two  or  three  hours  in 
looking  round  the  country ;  if  they  have  seen  nothing  they 
go  to  sleep  quietly,  and  they  leave  the  guard  of  the  camp 
again  to  the  Manitous. 

"  As  soon  as  they  have  discovered  an  enemy,  they  send 
out  a  party  to  reconnoitre  them,  and  on  their  report  they 
hold  a  council.  The  attack  is  generally  made  at  day -break. 
They  suppose  the  enemy  is  at  this  time  in  their  deepest 
sleep,  and  all  night  they  lie  on  their  bellies,  without  stirring. 
The  approaches  are  made  in  the. same  posture,  crawling  on 
their  feet  and  hands,  till  they  come  to  the  place ;  then  all  rise 
up,  the  chief  gives  the  signal  by  a  loud  cry,  to  which  all  the 
troops  answer  by  real  bowlings,  and  they  make  at  the  same 
time  their  first  discharge  of  their  arrows;  then,  without 
giving  the  enemy  any  time  to  look  about,  they  fall  upon 
them  with  their  clubs.  In  latter  times  these  people  have 
substituted  litLe  hatchets  instead  of  these  wooden  head- 
12* 


138  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

breakers,  which  they  call  by  the  same  name ;  since  which, 
their  engagements  are  more  bloody.  When  the  battle  is 
over,  they  take  the  scalps  of  the  dead  and  the  dying  ;  and 
they  never  think  of  making  prisoners  till  the  enemy  makes 
no  more  resistance. 

"  If  they  find  their  enemy  on  their  guard,  or  too  well  in- 
.  trenched,  they  retire,  if  they  have  time  for  it;  if  not,  they 
take  the  resolution  to  fight  stoutly,  and  there  is  sometimes 
much  blood  shed  on  both  sides. 

"  The  attack  of  a  camp  is  the  image  of  fury  itself,  the 
barbarous  fierceness  of  the  conquerors,  and  the  despair  of  the 
vanquished,  who  know  what  they  must  expect  if  they  fall 
into  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  produce  on  either  side  such 
efforts  as  pass  all  description.  The  apperance  of  the  com 
batants  all  besmeared  with  black  and  red,  still  increases  the 
horror  of  the  fight ;  and  from  this  pattern  one  might  make 
a  true  picture  of  hell.  When  the  victory  is  no  longer 
doubtful,  they  directly  despatch  all  those  whom  it  would  be 
troublesmome  to  carry  away,  and  seek  only  to  tire  out  the 
rest  whom  they  intend  to  make  prisoners. 

"The  savages  are  naturally  intrepid,  and  notwithstanding 
their  brutal  fierceness,  they  yet  preserve  in  the  midst  of 
action  much  coolness.  Nevertheless  they  never  fight  in  the 
field,  only  when  they  cannot  avoid  it,  their  reason  is,  that  a 
victory  marked  with  the  blood  of  the  conquerors,  is  not 
properly  a  victory,  and  the  glory  of  a  chief  consists  in 
bringing  back  all  his  subjects  safe  and  sound.  I  have  been 
told,  that  when  two  enemies  who  are  acquainted,  meet  in 
the  fight,  there  sometimes  passes  between  them  dialogues 
much  like  that  of  Homer's  heroes.  I  do  not  think  this  hap 
pens  in  the  height  of  engagement ;  but  it  may  happen  that 
in  little  rencountres,'  or  perhaps  before  passing  a  brook,  or 
forcing  an  entrenchment,  they  say  something  by  way  of 
defiance,  or  to  call  to  mind  some  such  rencountre. 

"  War  is  commonly  made  by  a  surprise,  and  it  generally 
succeeds,  for  as  the  savages  very  frequently  neglect  the 
precautions  necessary  to  shun  a  surprise,  so  are  they  active 
and  skilful  in  surprising.  On  the  other  hand  these  people 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  139 

have  a  wonderful  talent,  I  may  say,  an  instinct,  to  know  if 
any  person  has  passed  any  place.  On  the  shortest  grass,  or 
the  hardest  ground,  even  upon  stones,  they  discover  some 
traces,  and  by  the  way  they  are  turned,  by  the  shape  of 
their  feet,  by  the  manner  they  are  separated  from  each  other, 
they  distinguish,  as  they  say,  the  footsteps  of  different 
nations,  and  those  of  men  from  those  of  women.  I  thought 
a  long  time  there  was  an  exaggeration  in  this  matter  but 
the  reports  of  those  who  have  lived  long  among  the  savages 
are  so  unanimous  herein,  that  I  see  no  room  to  doubt  of  their 
sincerity.  Till  the  conquerors  are  in  a  country  of  safety, 
they  march  forward  expeditiously,  and  lest  the  wounded 
should  retard  them,  they  carry  them  by  turns  on  litters,  or 
draw  them  on  sledges  in  winter.  When  they  re-enter  their 
canoes  they  make  their  prisoners  sing,  and  they  practice  the 
same  thing  when  they  meet  any  allies ;  an  honour  jvhicl: 
costs  them  a  feast  who  receive  it,  and  the  unfortunate  cap 
tives  something  more  than  the  trouble  of  singing ;  for  they 
invite  the  allies  to  caress  them,  and  to  caress  the  prisoners 
is  to  do  them  all  the  mischief  they  can  devise,  or  to  maim 
them  in  such  a  manner  that  they  are  lamed  for  ever ;  but 
there  are  some  chiefs  who  take  some  care  of  these  wretches, 
and  do  not  sutler  them  to  be  too  much  abused.  But  nothing 
is  equal  to  the  care  they  take  to  keep  them ;  by  day  they 
are  tied  by  the  neck  and  by  the  arms  to  one  of  the  bars  of 
the  canoes.  When  they  go  by  land  there  is  always  one  that 
holds  them;  and  at  night  they  are  stretched  upon'tjie  earth 
quite  naked ;  some  cords  fastened  to  pickets,  fixed  in  the 
ground,  keep  their  legs,  arms,  and  necks  so  confined  that 
they  cannot  stir,  and  some  long  cords  confine  also  their 
hands  and  feet,  in  such  a  manner  that  they  cannot  make 
the  least  motion  without  waking  the  savages  who  lie  on 
these  cords. 

"  If  among  the  prisoners  there  are  any,  who  by  their 
wounds  are  not  in  a  condition  to  be  carried  away,  they  burn 
them  directly ;  and  as  this  is  done  in  the  first  heat,  and 
when  they  are  in  haste  to  retreat,  they  are,  for  the  most 


140 


ORIGIN    OF   THE 


part,  more  fortunate  than  the  others  who  are  reserved  for  a 
slower  punishment. 

"  In  order  to  leave  on  the  field  a  mark  of  their  victory,  the 
chief  of  the  victorious  party  sticks  in  the  ground  his  fight 
ing  club,  on  which  he  had  taken  care  to  trace  the  mark  of 
of  his  nation,  that  of  his  family,  and  his  own  picture ;  that 
is  to  say,  an  Oval,  with  all  the  figures  he  had  in  his  face. 
Others  painted  all  these  marks  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  on 
a  piece  of  bark,  with  charcoal  pounded  and  rubbed,  mixed 
with  some  colours.  They  add  some  hieroglyphic  characters, 
by  means  of  which,  those  who  pass  by  may  know  even  the 
minutest  circumstances,  not  only  of  the  action,  but  also  of 
the  whole  transactions  of  the  campaign.  They  know  the 
chief  of  the  party  by  all  the  marks  I  have  mentioned  ;  the 
number  of  his  exploits  by  so  many  mats;  that  of  his  soldiers 
by  lir^es ;  that  of  the  prisoners  carried  away  by  little  Mar 
mosets  placed  on  a  stick  or  on  a  Chichicoue ;  that  of  the 
dead  by  human  figures  without  heads,  with  differences  to 
distinguish  the  men,  the  women,  and  the  children.  But 
these  marks  are  not  always  set  up  near  the  place  where  the 
action  happened,  for  when  a  party  is  pursued,  they  place 
them  out  of  their  route,  in  order  to  deceive  their  pursuers. 

"  When  the  warriors  are  arrived  at  a  certain  distance 
from  the  village  whence  they  came,  they  halt,  and  the  chiei 
sends  one  to  give  notice  of  their  approach.  Among  some 
nations,  as  soon  as  the  messenger  is  within  hearing,  he 
makes  various  cries  which  give  a  general  idea  of  the  prin 
cipal  adventures  and  success  of  the  campaign ;  he  marks 
the  number  of  men  they  have  lost  by  so  many  cries  of  death. 
Immediately  the  young  people  come  out  to  hear  the  par 
ticulars  ;  sometimes  the  whole  village  comes  out,  but  one 
alone  addresses  the  messenger,  and  learns  from  him  the  de 
tails  of  the  news  which  he  brings.  As  the  messenger  relates 
a  fact,  he  repeats  it  aloud,  turning  towards  those  who  ac 
companied  him  by  acclamations,  or  dismal  cries,  according 
as  the  news  are.  mournful  o-r  pleasing.  The  messenger  is 
then  conducted  to  a  cabin,  where  the  elders  put  to  him  the 
same  questions  as  before ;  after  which,  a  public  crier  invites 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


141 


all  the  young  people  to  go  to  meet  the  warriors,  and  the 
women  to  carry  them  refreshments.  In  some  places  they 
only  think  of  mourning  for  those  they  have  lost ;  then  the 
messenger  makes  only  cries  of  death.  They  do  not  go  to 
meet  him ;  but  at  his  entering  the  village,  he  finds  all  the 
people  assembled,  he  relates  in  a  few  words  all  that  has 
passed,  then  retires  to  his  cabin,  where  they  carry  him  food ; 
and  for  some  time  they  do  nothing  but  mourn  for  the  dead. 

"  When  this  time  is  expired,  they  make  another  cry  to 
proclaim  the  victory.  Then  every  one  dries  up  his  tears, 
and  they  think  of  nothing  but  rejoicing.  Something  like  - 
this  is  practiced  at  the  return  of  the  hunters :  the  women 
who  remained  in  the  village  go  to  meet  them  as  soon  as  they 
are  informed  of  their  approach,  and  before  they  inquire  of 
the  success  of  their  hunting,  they  inform  them  by  their 
tears  of  the  deaths  that  have  happened  since  their  departure. 
To  return  to  the  warriors,  the  moment  when  the  women 
join  them,  is,  properly  speaking,  the  beginning  of  the 
pvnishment  of  the  prisoners ;  and  when  some  of  them  are 
intended  to  be  adopted,  which  is  not  allowed  to  be  done  by 
all  nations,  their  future  parents,  whom  they  take  care  to  in 
form  of  it,  go  and  receive  them  at  a  little  distance,  and 
conduct  them  to  their  cabins  by  some  round-about  ways. 
In  general,  the  captives  are  a  long  time  ignorant  of  their 
fate,  and  there  are  few  who  escape  the  iirst  fury  of  the 
women. 

"  All  the  prisoners  who  are  destined  to  die,  and  those 
whose  fate  is  not  yet  decided,  as  I  have  already  said  aban 
doned  to  the  fury  of  the  women,  who  go  to  meet  the  war 
riors  ;  and  it  is  surprising  that  they  resist  all  the  evils  they 
make  them  suffer.  If  any  one,  especially,  has  lost  either 
her  son  or  husband,  or  any  other  person  that  was  dear  to 
her,  though  this  loss  had  happened  thirty  years  before,  she  is 
zfury.  She  attacks  the  first  who  falls  under  her  hand ;  and 
one  can  scarcely  imagine  how  far  she  is  transported  with 
rage  she  has  no  regard  either  to  humanity  or  decency,  and 
on  every  wound  she  gives  him,  one  would"  expect  to  see  him 
fall  dead  at  her  feet,  if  we  did  not  know  how  ingenious 


142  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

these  barbarians  are  in  prolonging  the  most  unheard  of 
punishments.  All  the  night  passes  in  this  manner  in  the 
camp  of  the  warriors. 

"  The  next  day  is  the  day  of  the  triumph  of  the  warriors. 
The  Iroquois  and  some  others  effect  a  great  modesty,  and 
a  still  greater  disinterestedness  on  these  occasions.  The 
chiefs  enter  alone  into  the  village,  without  any  mark  of 
victory,  keeping  a  profound  silence,  and  retire  to  their  cab 
ins,  without  showing  that  they  have  the  least  pretensions 
to  the  prisoners.  Among  other  nations  the  same  custom  is 
not  observed  :  the  chief  marches  at  the  head  of  his  troops 
with  the  air  of  a  conqueror ;  his  lieutenant  comes  after  him, 
and  a  crier  goes  before,  who  is  ordered  to  renew  the  death 
cries.  The  warriors  follow  by  two  and  two,  the  prisoners 
in  the  midst,  crowded  with  flowers,  their  faces  and  hair 
painted,  holding  a  stick  in  one  hand  and  a  Chichicoue  in 
the  other,  their  bodies  almost  naked,  their  arms  tied  above 
the  elbows  with  a  cord,  the  end  of  which  is  held  by  the 
warriors,  and  they  sing  without  ceasing  their  death  song  to 
the  sound  of  the  Chichicoue. 

"  This  song  has  something  mournful  and  haughty  at  the 
same  time;  and  the  captive  has  nothing  of  the  air  of  a  man 
who  suffers,  and  that  is  vanquished.  This  is  pretty  near  the 
sense  of  these  songs ; — "  I  am  brave  and  intrepid ;  I  do  not 
fear  death  nor  any  kind  of  tortures ;  those  who  fear  them  are 
cowards;  they  are  less  than  women;  life  is  nothing  without 
courage ;  may  my  enemies  be  confounded  with  despair  and 
rage ;  Oh !  that  I  could  devour  them  and  drink  their  blood  to 
the  last  drop.5'  From  time  to  time  they  stop  them ;  the  peo 
ple  gather  round  them  and  dance ;  they  seem  to  do  it  with 
a  good  will ;  they  relate  the  finest  actions  of  their  lives , 
they  name  all  those  they  have  killed  or  burnt ;  and  they 
make  particular  mention  of  those  for  whom  the  people  pres 
ent  are  concerned ;  one  wrould  say  that  they  only  seek  to 
animate  more  and  more  against  them  the  masters  of  their 
fate.  In  fact,  these  boastings  make  those  who  hear  them 
quite  furious,  and  they  pay  dear  for  their  vanity  •  but  by 


NORTH    AMEEICAN    INDIANS.  143 

the  most  cruel  treatment,  one  would  say,  that  they  take  a 
pleasure  in  being  tormented. 

"  Sometimes  they  oblige  the  prisoners  to  run  through 
two  ranks  of  savages,  armed  with  stones  and  sticks,  who 
fall  upon  them  as  if  they  would  knock  them  in  the  head  at 
the  first  blow ;  yet  it  never  happens  that  they  kill  them  ; 
so  much  care  do  they  take,  even  when  they  seem  to  strike 
at  random,  that  their  hand,  which  is  guided  by  fury  alone, 
does  not  touch  any  part  that  would  endanger  life.  In  this 
march  every  one  has  a  right  to  torment  them.  They  are 
indeed  allowed  to  defend  themselves ;  but  they  would,  if 
they  were  to  attempt  it,  soon  be"  overpowered.  As  soon  as 
they  are  arrived  at  the  village,  they  lead  them  from  cabin 
to  cabin,  and  every  where  they  make  them  pay  their 
welcome.  In  one  place  they  pull  off  one  of  their  nails  in 
another  place  they  bite  off  one  of  their  fingers,  or  cut  it  off 
with  a  bad  knife  which  cuts  like  a  saw.  An  old  man  tears 
their  flesh  to  the  very  bone;  a  child  with  an  awl  wounds, 
them  where  he  can ;  a  woman  whips  them  without  mercy, 
till  she  is  so  tired  that  she  cannot  lift  her  hand;  but  none  of 
the  warriors  lay  their  hands  on  them,  although  they  are 
still  their  masters  ;  and  no  one  can  mutilate  the  prisoners 
without  their  leave,  which  they  seldom  want ;  but  this  ex- 
cepted,  they  have  an  entire  liberty  to  make  them  suffer ; 
and  if  they  lead  them  through  several  villages,  either  of  the 
same  nation,  or  their  neighbours  or  allies  who  have 
desired,  they  are  received  every  where  in  the  same  manner. 

"  After  these  preludes  they  set  about  the  distribution  of 
the  captives,  and  their  fate  depends  on  those  to  whom 
they  are  delivered.  At  the  rising  of  the  council  where 
they  have  consulted  of  their  fate,  a  crier  invites  all  the  peo 
ple  to  come  to  an  open  place,  where  the  distribution  is  made 
without  any  noise  or  disturbance.  The  women  who  have 
lost  their  children  or  husbands  in  the  war,  generally  receive 
the  first  lot.  In  the  next  place  they  fulfil  the  promises 
made  to  those  who  have  given  the  collars.  If  there  are 
not  captives  enough  for  this  purpose,  they  supply  the  want 
of  them  by  scalps,  with  which  those  who  receive  them 


144  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

adorn  themselves  on  rejoicing  days;  and  at  other  times 
they  hang  them  up  at  the  doors  of  their  cabins.  On  the 
contrary,  if  the  number  of  prisoners  exceeds  that  of  the 
claimants,  they  send  the  overplus  to  the  village  of  their 
allies.  A  chief  is  not  replaced  but  by  a  chief,  or  by  two  or 
three  ordinary  persons  who  are  always  burnt,  although  those 
whom  they  replace  had  died  of  diseases. 

"  The  Iroquois  never  fail  to  set  apart  some  of  their  pris 
oners  for  the  public,  and  these  the  council  dispose  of  as  they 
think  proper.  But  the  mothers  of  families  may  set  aside 
their  sentence,  and  are  the  mistress  of  the  life  and  death 
even  of  those  who  have  been  condemned  or  absolved  by  the 
council. 

"  In  some  nations  the  warriors  do  not  entirely  deprive 
themselves  of  the  right  of  disposing  of  their  captives,  and 
they  to  whom  the  council  give  them  are  obliged  to  put 
them  again  into  their  hands  if  they  require  it ;  but  they  do 
it  very  seldom ;  and  when  they  do  it  they  are  obliged  to 
return  the  pledges  or  presents  received  from  those  persons. 
If  on  their  arrival  they  have  declared  their  intentions  on 
this  subject,  it  is  seldom  opposed.  In  general,  the  greatest 
number  of  the  prisoners%of  war  are  condemned  to  death,  or 
to  very  hard  slavery,  in  which  their  lives  are  never  secure ; 
some  are  adopted ;  and  from  that  time  their  condition 
differs  in  nothing  from  that  of  the  children  of  the  nation. 
They  enter  into  all  the  rights  of  those  places  which  they 
supply  ;  and  they  often  acquire  so  far  the  spirit  of  the  nation 
of  which  they  are  become  members,  that  they  make  no 
difficulty  of  going  to  war  against  their  own  countrymen. 
The  Iroquois  would  have  scarcely  supported  themselves 
hitherto  but  by  this  policy.  Having  been  at  war  many 
years  against  all  the  other  nations,  they  would  at  present 
have  been  reduced  almost  to  nothing,  if  they  had  not  taken 
great  care  to  naturalize  a  good  part  of  their  prisoners  of 
war. 

"  It  sometimes  happens  that  instead  of  sending  into  the 
other  villages  the  surplus  of  their  captives,  they  give  them 
to  private  persons,  who  had  not  asked  for  any ;  and,  in  this 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  •  145 

case,  either  they  are  not  so  far  masters  of  them,  as  not  to  be 
obliged  to  consult  the  chiefs  of  the  council  how  they  shall 
dispose  of  them,  or  else  they  are  obliged  to  adopt  them.  In 
the  first  place  he  to  whom  they  make  a  present  of  a  slave, 
sends  for  him  by  one  of  his  family ;  then  he  fastens  him  to 
the  door  of  his  cabin,  and  assembles  the  chief  of  the  council, 
to  whom  he  declares  his  intentions  and  asks  their  advice 
This  advice  is  generally  agreeable  to  his  desire.  In  the 
second  place  the  council,  in  giving  the  prisoners  to  the 
person  they  have  determined  on,  say  to  hiuD,'  It  is  a  long 
time  we  have  been  deprived  of  such  an  on*;  your  relation, 
or  your  friend,  who  was  a  support  of  our  village.'  Or  else, 
*  we  regret  the  spirit  of  such  an  one  you  hare  lost ;  and 
who,  by  his  wisdom,  maintained  the  public  tranqmlity ;  he 
must  appear  again  this  day ;  he  was  too  dear  to  us,  and 
too  precious  to  defer  his  revival  any  longer ;  we  p]ace  him 
again  on  his  mat,  in  the  person  of  this  prisoner.' 

"  There  are  nevertheless,  some  private  persons  that  are  in 
all  appearance  more  considered  than  others,  to  whom  they 
make  a  present  of  a  captive  without  any  conditions,  and 
with  full  liberty  to  do  what  they  please  with  him ;  and 
then  the  council  express  themselves  in  these  terms,  when 
they  put  him  in  their  hands  : — '  This  is  to  repair  the,  loss 
of  such  a  one,  and  to  cleanse  the  heart  of  his  father,  of  his 
mother,  of  his  wife,  and  of  his  children.  If  you  are  either 
willing  to  make  them  drink  the  broth  of  this  flesh,  or  that 
you  had  rather  replace  the  deceased  on  his  mat,  in  the  per 
son  of  this  captive,  you  may  dispose  of  him  as  you  please.' 

"  When  a  prisoner  is  adopted,  they  lead  him  to  the  cabin 
where  he  must  live,  and  the  first  thing  they  do  is  to  untie 
him ;  then  they  warm  some  water  and  wash  him ;  they 
dress  his  wounds,  if  he  has  any,  and  if  they  were  even 
putrified,  and  full  of  worms,  he  is  soon  cured ;  they  omit 
nothing  to  make  him  forget  his  suffering ;  they  make  him 
eat,  and  clothe  him  decently.  In  a  word,  they  would  not  do 
more  for  their  own  children,  nor  for  him  whom  he  raises 
from  the  dead  ;  this  is  their  expression.  Some  days  after, 
they  make  a  feast,  during  which  they  solemnly  give  him 


146  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

the  name  of  the  person  whom  he  replaces,  and  whose  rights 
he  not  only  acquires  from  that  time,  but  he  lays  himself  also 
under  the  same  obligation. 

"  Amongst  the  Hurons  and  Iroquois,  the  prisoners  they 
intend  to  burn,  are  sometimes  as  well  treated  at  first,  and 
even  till  the  moment  of  execution,  as  those  that  have  been 
adopted.  It  appears  as  if  they  were  vic-tims  they  had 
fattened  for  the  sacrifice,  and  they  are  really  a  sacrifice  to 
the  god  of  war.  The  only  difference  they  make  between 
these  and  the  others,  is,  that  they  blacken  their  faces  all 
over ;  after  this,  they  entertain  them  in  the  best  manner 
they  are  able ;  they  always  speak  kindly  to  them ;  they 
give  them  the  names  of  sons,  brothers,  or  nephews,  accor 
ding  to  the  person  whose  names  they  are  to  appease  by 
their  death.  They  also  sometimes  give  them  young 
women,  to  serve  them  for  wives  all  the  time  they  have  to 
live.  But  when  they  are  informed  of  their  fate,  they  must 
be  well  kept,  to  prevent  their  escaping.  Therefore  this 
often  times  is  concealed  from  them. 

"  When  they  have  been  delivered  up  to  a  woman,  the 
moment  they  inform  her  every  thing  is  ready  for  execution, 
she  is  no  longer  a  mother,  she  is  a  fury,  who  passes  from 
the  tenderest  caresses  to  the  greatest  excess  of  rage  ;  she 
begins  by  invoking  the  spirit  of  him  she  desires  to  revenge. 
6  Approach,'  says  she, c  you  are  going  to  be  appeased  ;  I 
prepare  a  feast  for  thee ;  drink  great  draughts  of  this  broth 
which  is  going  to  be  poured  out  to  thee;  receive  the 
sacrifice  I  am  going  to  make  to  thee  in  sacrificing  this 
warrior ;  he  shall  be  burnt  and  put  in  the  kettle ;  they  shall 
apply  red  hot  hatchets  to  his  flesh ;  they  shall  pull  of  his 
scalp ;  they  shall  drink  in  his  skull ;  make  therefore  no 
more  complaints,  thou  shalt  be  fully  satisfied.' 

"  This  form  of  speech,  which  is  properly  the  sentence  of 
death,  varies  much  as  to  the  terms ;  but  for  the  meaning,  it 
is  always  the  same.  Then  a  crier  makes  the  captive  come 
out  of  the  cabin,  and  declares  in  a  loud  voice  the  intention 
of  him  or  her  to  whom  he  belongs,  and  finishes  by  exhorting 
the  young  people  to  behave  well.  Another  succeeds,  who 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  147' 

addresses  him  that  is.  to  suffer,  and  says,  brother,  take 
courage,  thou  art  going  to  be  burnt?  And  he  answers  coolly, 
<  that  is  well,  I  give  thee  thanks.'  Immediately  there  is  a 
cry  through  the  whole  village,  and  the  prisoner  is  led  to 
the  place  of  his  punishment.  For  the  most  part  they  tie 
him  to  a  post  by  tjje  hands  and  feet ;  but  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  can  turn  round  it.  But  sometimes  when  the  execu 
tion  takes  place  in  a  cabin  whence  there  is  no  danger  of 
escaping,  they  let  him  run  from  one  end  to  the  other.  Be 
fore  they  begin  to  burn  him,  he  sings  for  the  last  time  his 
death  song.  Then  he  recites  his  achievements,  and  almost 
always  in  a  manner  the  most  insulting  to  those  he  perceives 
around  him.  Then  he  exhorts  them  not  to  spare  him,  but 
to  remember  that  he  is  a  man  and  a  warrior.  During  these 
tragical  and  barbarous  scenes  the  sufferer  sings  aloud,  and 
with  such  seeming  carelessness,  that  hereby  he  offers  the 
greatest  insult  to  his  executioners.  In  short,  the  thought 
that  there  are  no  hopes  of  mercy,  gives  resolution  and 
inspires  boldness. 

"  As  to  the  causes  that  should  produce  in  the  savages 
such  inhumanity,  which  we  could  never  have  believed  men 
to  have  been  guilty  of,  I  believe  they  acquire  it  by  degrees, 
and  have  been  used  to  it  insensibly  by  custom ;  but  a  desire 
of  seeing  their  enemy  behave  manly,  the  insults  which  the 
sufferers  do  not  cease  to  make  to  their  tormentors,  the 
desire  of  revenge,  which  is  the  reigning  passion  of  this 
people,  and  which  they  do  not  think  sufficiently  glutted, 
whilst  the  courage  of  those  who  are  the  object  of  it,  is  not 
subdued,  and  lastly  superstition,  have  a  great  share  in  it, 
for  what  excesses  are  not  produced  by  a  false  zeal,  guided 


i  by  so  many  passions." 


148 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


WAR  AMONG  THE  TONGUSI,  CORIAKS,  KAMSCHADALES, 
YAKUTSI,  OKOTSI,  OF  SIBERIA. 

When  war  is  declared  among  the  Tongusi,  according 
to  Abernethy,  Santini,  and  others,  the  first  ceremony,  which 
is  the  very  same  among  the  North  American  Indians,  is 
to  hang  the  kettle  mi  the  fire.  This  preliminary,  no  doubt, 
origiated  from  the  barbarous  custom  of  eating  the  prison 
ers  of  war,  and  those  who  had  been  killed,  after  they  had 
been  boiled.  We  find,  however,  no  authentic  proof  addu 
ced  by  any  European  writer  or  traveller,  which  will  induce 
us  to  believe  that  it  was  customary,  either  among  the 
North  American  Indians  or  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  north 
east  part  of  Asia,  to  eat  human  flesh ;  still  it  is  acknowledg 
ed  by  themselves  on  both  continents.  Some  eminent  trav 
ellers  have  asserted  that  the  terms  to  drink  the  blood  or  b)'oth 
of  the  flesh  of  their  enemies,  were  only  an  allegorical  way 
of  speaking  among  the  Asiatics,  and  consequently  among 
the  Indians  of  North  America.  These  figurative  expres 
sions  are  often  found  in  the  scripture.  The  enemies  of 
David  did  not,  as  it  appears,  make  it  a  custom  to  eat  the 
flesh  of  their,  enemies,  when  he  said  Psalm  xxvii.  5,  ii. 
"  When  the  wicked,  even  mine  enemies  came  upon  me  to  eat 
up  my  flesh"  In  after  times,  however,  we  are  convinced 
that  nations  substituted  the  fact  in  room  of  the  figure. 
Although  the  expressions  which  the  Asiatics  of  Siberia  and 
the  North  American  Indians  made  use  of,  when  they  ad 
dressed  their  prisoners  of  war  would  in  their  literal  sense 
induce  us  to  believe  that  cannibalism  was  common  among 
them  on  certain  occasions,  yet,  we  have  no  better  proof 
than  their  own  allegorical  expressions,  we  must  not  be  rash 
enough  to  accuse  them  of  such  inhumanity. 

"  The  motives,"  says  Abernethy,  "  which  engage  the 
barbarous  tribes  of  north-east  Asia  to  make  war,  are  gene 
rally  trifling,  and  often  founded  on  some  old  or  new  injury. 
Under  these  circumstances,  nations  which  were  once  ene 
mies  are  seldom  at  peace  with  each  other.  Before  they  set 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  149 

out  on  any  warlike  expedition,  they  must  first  obtain  the 
approbation  and  sanction  of  their  elders  and  chiefs  who 
constitute  the  council.  Among  the  Yakictsi  and  Okotsi,  fast 
ing  for  several  days  is  deemed  indispensably  necessary,  es 
pecially  for  their  chiefs  or  leaders.  Some  tribes  among  the 
Tongusi  and  Coriaks  paint  themselves  black  the  day  before 
they  depart ;  this  colour,  however,  is  changed  into  red  on 
setting  off. 

"  The  chief  among  the  Kamschadales  fasts  longer  than 
the  other  warriors,  and  during  that  time  he  scarcely  con 
verses  with  any  person,  and  is  besmeared  with  black.  This 
painting  themselves  with  black  arises,  I  suppose,  from  some 
notions  of  the  death  or  slaughter  which  they  are  about  to 
inflict  on  their  enemies.  Dreams  are  also  carefully  ob 
served,  and  more  favourably  interpreted,  for  they  are  gene 
rally  auspicious  mens.  After  they  have  performed  many 
ridiculous  ceremonies  the  chief  assembles  his  warriors,  and 
tells  them  that  the  Great  Spirit  and  the  spirits  of  their  mur 
dered  brethren  demand  revenge.  Having  delivered  an  en 
thusiastic  and  figurative  speech  of  no  great  length,  in  which 
he  reminds  them  of  the  bravery  and  heroism  of  their  fathers 
and  of  the  injuries  done  them  and  their  brethren,  they  heat 
wTater  with  which  they  wash  the  black  colour  from  his  face. 
They  set  his  hair  in  order,  grease  it  and  repaint  it  with  red 
and  various  other  colours.  After  he  is  dressed  in  his  finest 
robes  he  begins  to  sing  the  song  of  death  in  a  low  tone. 
His  warriors  then  who  are  to  accompany  him,  sing  one 
after  another  their  war  song  ;  for  every  man  has  his  own, 
which  is  not  to  be  sung  by  another.  Some  families  have 
also  songs  peculiar  to  themselves.  They  now  proceed  to 
he-ar  the  final  decision  of  the  council,  who  are  for  two  or 
three  days  secluded  from  society.  '  Go,'  says  the  elders, 
'  and  wipe  away  the  blood  of  your  brethren ;  their  bodies  are 
not  covered :  destroy  your  enemies  and  eat  all  your  captives.' 
This  sentence  is  received  with  acclamations,  bowlings,  and 
yells,  and  they  depart  to  make  a  feast,  which  is  called  the 
feast  of  the  dog;  for  the  dogs  are  generally  the  only  dish. 
Before  the  dog  is  put  into  the  kettle,  they  offer  him  to  the 
13* 


150  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

god  of  war.  Sometimes  they  declare  war  openly  by  sending 
a  painted  tomahawk  to  their  enemies ;  and  at  other  times 
they  take  them  by  surprise  without  giving  the  least  notice 
of  their  hostile  intentions.  Among  the  Coriaks  a  second 
feast  is  given  by  the  chief  before  their  departure,  to  which 
he  invites  all  the  village.  Before  they  partake  of  any 
thing,  the  chief  stands  up  and  delivers  a  longer  speech  than 
usual.  "  We  have  been  slain,'  says  he,  <  the  bones  of  our 
brethren  remain  uncovered,  their  spirits  cry  against  us,  and 
we  must  satisfy  them.  The  Great  Spirit  tells  us  to  take  re 
venge.  Take  therefore  courage  and  dress  your  hair ;  paint 
your  faces  and  fill  your  quivers.' 

"  After  this  discourse  he  is  applauded  with  deafening 
yells.  He  then  advances  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly  to 
sing  with  his  war  club  in  his  hand.  The  warriors  swear  or 
promise  to  follow  him  and  support  him  till  they  die.  They 
put  themselves  in  the  position  of  fighting,  and  their  gestures 
would  almost  make  one  believe  that  they  are  actually 
fighting  among  themselves.  This  they  do  that  their  chieis 
and  family  may  understand  their  intrepidity  and  firm  resolu 
tions  of  not  flying  from  the  enemy.  Songs  and  dances 
follow  these  assurances,  and  the  feast  puts  an  end  to  these 
ceremonies. 

"  The  Tongusi,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  courage,  pa 
tience,  and  perseverance  of  their  warriors,  inflict  many  in 
juries  and  insults  on  the  young  people  who  never  faced 
an  enemy.  They  first  reproach  them  with  the  names  of 
cowards  ;  they  beat  them  with  their  clubs,  and  even  throw 
boiling  water  on  them ;  and  if  they  show  on  these  oc 
casions  the  least  impatience  and  sensiblity,  they  are  reckon 
ed  as  dastards  who  are  not  worthy  of  the  name  of  warriors. 
They  carry  this  practice  of  trying  the  young  men  so  far  that 
it  would  be  too  tedious  to  relate  them. 

"  When  the  day  of  departure  is  arrived,  they  are  not  at  all 
void  of  those  tender  feelings,  which  are  always  found 
among  any  civilized  nation  on  occasions  of  this  sort.  They 
give  mutual  pledges  as  assurances  of  a  perpetual  remem 
brance.  At  their  departure  the  whole  village  meets  at  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  151 

cabin  of  the  chief,  which  is  now  surrounded  by  warriors.  On 
coming  out  of  his  cabin,  he  addresses  them  for  the  last  time. 
His  speech  is  much  the  same  as  I  have  already  said.  After 
his  speech  he  again  sings  the  song  of  death,  and  they  all 
take  their  leave  of  their  families,  friends  and  relations. 

"  Their  arms  are  bows  and  arrows,  a  javelin  and  a  head- 
breaker.  Their  defensive  armour  consists  of  the  hides  of 
Duffaloes  and  sometimes  a  coat  of  pliable  sticks,  woven  and 
pretty  well  wrought.  They  have  now  however,  substituted 
swords  and  muskets  for  their  offensive  weapons  and  defen 
sive  armour,  which  prove  more  fatal  and  destructive. 

"  The  Coriaks  have  their  tutelar  deities  which  they  carry 
with  them  on  these  expeditions.  These  symbols  under 
which  every  one  represents  his  familiar  spirit,  are  painted 
with  various  colours  and  carried  in  sacks.  When  they 
travel  by  water  they  place  the  sacks  which  contain  them, 
their  presents,  and  other  valuable  articles,  in  the  fore  part 
of  their  canoes  where  the  chief  sits  with  no  other  intention, 
I  suppose,  than  that  of  honouring  him. 

"  When  they  encamp,  which  is  always  about  sunset,  they 
construct  tents  of  mats  which  they  cany  along  with  them. 
During  the  night  they  divide  their  watches  after  the  man 
ner  of  the  Romans.  Sometimes,  however,  they  all  sleep, 
except  two  or  three  on  whom  they  have  the  greatest 
dependance.  But  their  principal  safeguard  are  their 
deities,  whom  they  imagine  to  be  their  surest  protectors. 
On  the  following  morning,  if  they  are  not  in  any  hurry  to 
arrive  in  the  country  of  their  enemies,  small  parties  separate 
into  different  directions  to  hunt,  and  in  the  evening  all 
return  to  their  camp  about  the  same  time.  Thus  they  pro 
cure  their  subsistence  as  they  go  along  without  being  at 
the  trouble  of  carrying  burdens  of  provisions. 

"  It  is  generally  about  day  break  that  they  attack  their 
enemies,  because  about  this  time  they  imagine  that  they 
are  asleep.  The  chief  gives  the  signal,  and  they  all  rush 
forward,  discharging  their  arrows,  and  preparing  their 
more  deadly  weapons,  their  tomahawks.  Slaughter  and 
destruction  are  now  committed  without  mercy  or  compas- 


152  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

sion,  and  the  vanquished  frequently  undergo  the  painful 
operation  of  scalping. 

"In  retreating,  they  use  the  greatest  precaution,  by 
inarching  forward  expeditiously ;  and  pursuing  a  differed 
route  from  what  the  enemies  would  suppose.  They  also 
conceal  the  marks  of  their  steps  by  covering  them  with  the 
leaves  of  the  trees.  Those  who  have  been  taken  prisoners 
are  doomed  to  the  most  cruel  treatment,  much  worse  than 
the  torments  which  the  Christians  endured  from  the  Pagans. 

"  The  Yakutsi  conduct  their  prisoners  to  their  villages 
where  they  are  immediately  slaughtered,  except  to  those 
who  are  ransomed  by  their  respective  chiefs.  Many  of 
them  are  also  given  to  those  widows  who  have  lost  their 
husbands  in  war.  The  Okotsi  are  again  more  merciful,  for 
they  seldom  put  to  death  any  of  their  captives,  unless  they 
attempt  to  escape.  The  same  treatment  towards  prisoners 
of  war  has  been  often  observed  among  the  various  tribes  of 
north-east  Asia. 

"Innumerable  ceremonies  attend  the  entrance  of  the 
warriors  into  their  villages,  on  their  return  from  the  field  of 
battle.  The  Tongusi  enter  in  great  triumph.  They  send 
two  messengers  before  to  announce  their  approach,  and 
relate  their  success,  if  they  come  off  conquerors.  All  their 
friends  of  both  sexes  are  summoned  to  meet  them,  at  some 
distance  from  the  village,  with  provisions  and  other  refresh 
ments.  Here  they  make  a  feast,  during  which  every  one 
recounts  his  own  exploits  and  hereoic  actions.  After  they 
amuse  themselves  with  dancing  and  singing,  they  return 
home,  where  they  aje  entertained  with  more  sumptuous 
festivities  which  last  for  several  days.  The  prisoners  are 
contented  with  singing  mournful  airs,  in  which  they  im 
plore  the  compassion  of  their  conquerors.  When  captives 
are  adopted  among  them,  they  fail  not  to  show  them  that 
they  are  no  less  humane  than  they  are  ferocious  when  they 
inflict  punishment." 

Santini  has  observed  almost  the  same  as  Abernethy  ;  but 
he  has  noticed  more  particularly  the  Poloosi  of  the  Coriaks, 
which  is  held  so  sacred  among  the  North  American  Indians, 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  155 

• 

under  the  name  of  Calumet.  Thus  speaks  Santini  :- 
"  Quando  si  vuol  dischiarare  la  pace,  si  accende  la  Sacra 
Pipa  di  tobacco.  Allora  uno  dei  principi  1'ofFerisce  al 
commandante  degli  inimici,  la  quale  se  riceve,  la  guerra  e 
iinita.  Si  dice  che  da  tutta  questa  gente,  il  contratto  della 
Pipa  e  stimato  inviolabile.  II  concavo  e  fattod'argilla  e  il 
tubo  d'  una  canna.  II  tubo  e  ornato  di  piume  di  varii 
colori :  Ma  hanno  different!  pipe  per  different!  contratti." 

When  a  nation  is  inclined  to  make  peace,  according  to 
Santini,  they  light  the  sacred  pipe,  and  it  is  offered  by  a 
chief  to  the  chief  commander  of  the  hostile  tribe ;  if  he 
receives  and  smokes  it,  peace  is  immediately  proclaimed; 
and  so  sacred  do  they  consider  this  agreement,  that  they 
have  been  seldom  or  never  violated.  The  bowl  is  made  of 
clay,  and  the  tube  of  a  reed  three  or  four  feet  long  ;  it  is 
decorated  with  feathers  of  various  colours.  They  have 
their  different  pipes  for  their  different  sorts  of  contracts. 


THE  DANCE  OF  THE  CALUMET    AMONG  THE  NORTH 
4  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

When  the  dance  of  the  ealumet  is  intended,  as  it  gen 
erally  is,  to  conclude  a  peace,  or  a  treaty  of  alliance  against 
a  common  enemy,  they  grave  a  serpent  on  the  tube  of  the 
pipe,  and  set  on  one  side  of  it  a  board,  on  which  is  repre 
sented  two  men  of  the  two  confederate  nations,  with  the 
enemy  under  their  feet,  distinguished  by  the  mark  of  his 
nation.  In  the  centre  are  placed  three  of  their  most 
beautiful  females,  in  order  to  make  the  treaty  more  solemn 
and  binding,  as  the  number  three  is  by  them  considered  the 
most  sacred.  Sometimes,  instead  of  a  calumet,  they  set  up 
a  fighting  club.  But  if  it  concerns  only  a  single  alliance, 
they  represent  two  men  joining  one  hand  and  holding  in 
the  other  a  calumet  of  peace,  and  having  each  at  his  side 
the  mark  of  his  nation.  In  all  these  treaties  they  give 
mutual  pledges,  necklaces,  calumets,  slave? ;  sometimes  elks 


156  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

and  deer  skins,  well  dressed,  and  ornamented  with  figures 
made  with  porcupines'  hair;  and  then  they  represent  on 
these  skins  the  things  which  have  been  mentioned,  either 
with  porcupines,  hair,  or  plain  colours.  During  this  treaty, 
which  is  contracted  by  means  of  the  pipe,  the  greater  part 
of  them  join  in  dancing,  which  is  called  the  calumet  dance. 
The  chief  carries  the  grand  pipe  in  his  hand  and  leads  the 
circular  dance,  sometimes  uttering  sentiments  of  joy,  as  ii 
congratulating  his  tribe  on  obtaining  confederates,  and  at 
other  times  howling  revenge  against  the  common  enemy. 
The  chief,  who  was  the  means  of  reconciling  the  two  tribes 
to  each  other,  first  smokes  the  pipe  and  then  offers  it  to  the 
chief  of  his  confederates,  who  also  fumes  in  his  turn.  Then 
the  whole  assembly  join  in  one  common  cry  of  congratu 
lation. 

"  This  ceremony,"  says  the  Bishop  of  Meaux,  "  is  properly 
a  military  feast.  The  warriors  are  the  actors,  and  one 
would  say,  that  it  was  instituted  only  to  give  them  an  op 
portunity  of  publishing  their  great  achievements  in  war. 
I  am  not  the  author  of  this  opinion,  which  does  not  agree 
well  with  theirs,  who  have  maintained  that  the  calumet 
took  its  origin  from  the  Caduceus  of  Mercury,  and  that  in 
its  institution  it  was  esteemed  as  a  symbol  of  peace.  All 
those  I  saw  dance,  sing,  shake  the  chichicoue,  and  beat  the 
drum,  were  young  people  equipped  as  when  they  prepare 
for  the  march ;  they  had  painted  their  faces  with  all  sorts 
of  colours,  their  heads  were  adorned  with  feathers,  and  they 
held  some  in  their  hands  like  fans.  The  calumet  was  also 
adorned  with  feathers,  and  was  set  up  in  the  most  conspic 
uous  place.  The  band  of  music  and  the  dancers  were 
round  about  it ;  the  spectators  divided  here  and  there  in  little 
companies;  the  women  separated  from  the  men,  all  seated 
on  the  ground,  and  dressed  in  their  finest  robes,  which  at 
some  distance  made  a  pretty  show. 

"  Between  the  music  and  the  commandant,  who  sat 
before  the  door  of  his  lodging,  they  had  set  up  a  post,  on 
which,  at  the  end  of  every  dance,  a  warrior  came  and  gave 
a  stroke  with  his  hatchet.  At  this  signal  there  was  a  great 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  157 

silence,  and  this  man  repeated  with  a  loud  voice,  some  of 
his  great  feats,  and  then  received  the  applauses  of  the 
spectators.  Afterwards  he  went  to  his  place  and  the  sport 
began  again.  This  lasted  two  hours  for  each  of  the 
nations ;  and  I  acknowledge  that  I  took  no  great  pleasure 
in  it,  not  only  on  account  of  the  same  tone  and  the  un 
pleasantness  of  the  music,  but  because  all  the  dances  con 
sisted  in  contortions,  which  seemed  to  me  to  express  nothing 
and  were  no  way  entertaining. 

"  The  dance  of  the  discovery  is  more  entertaining,  because 
it  has  more  action,  and  expresses  better  than  the  foregoing 
the  subject  it  represents.  It  is  a  natural  representation  of 
all  that  passes  in  an  expedition  of  war ;  and,  as  I  have 
before  observed,  that  the  savages,  for  the  greatest  part  only, 
endeavour  to  surprise  the  enemy,  this  is  no  doubt  the  reason 
why  they  have  given  this  dance  the  name  of  the 
discovery. 

"  However  that  may  be,  only  one  single  man  performs 
this  dance.  At  first  he  advances  slowly  into  the  midst  of 
the  place,  where  he  remains  for  some  time  motionless,  after 
which  he  represents,  one  after  another,  the  setting  out  of 
the  warriors,  the  march,  and  the  encamping ;  he  goes  on  the 
discovery,  he  makes  his  approach,  he  stops  as  if  to  take  breath, 
then  all  on  a  sudden  he  grows  furious,  and  one  would  imagine 
he  was  going  to  kill  every  body,  then  he  appears  more 
calm,  and  takes  one  of  the  company  as  if  he  had  him  a  pris 
oner  of  war;  he  makes  a  show  of  knocking  another 
person's  brains  out ;  he  levels  his  gun  at  another;'  and,  lastly, 
he  sets  up  a  running  with  all  his  might,  and  he  stops  in 
stantaneously  and  recovers  himself.  This  is  to  represent  a 
retreat,  at  first  precipitate  and  afterwards  less  so.  Then  he 
expresses  by  different  cries  the  various  affections  of  his 
mind,  during  his  last  campaign,  and  finishes  by  reciting 
all  the  brave  actions  he  has  performed  in  the  war. 

"  In  the  western  parts  there  is  another  dance  used  which 

is  called  the  dance  of  the  bulL     The  dancers  form  several 

circles  or  rings,  and  the  music,  which  is  always  the  drum  or 

the  chichicoue^  is  in  the  midst  of  the  place.  They  never  sep- 

14 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 

arate  those  of  the  family  ;  they  do  not  join  hands,  and  every 
one  carries  in  his  hand  his  arms  and  his  buckler.  All  the 
circles  do  not  turn  in  the  same  way ;  and  though  they 
caper  much,  and  very  high,  they  always  keep  time  and 
measure. 

"  From  time  to  time  a  chief  of  a  family  presents  his 
shield ;  they  all  strike  on  it,  and  at  every  stroke  he  repeats 
some  of  his  exploits.  Then  he  goes  and  cuts  a  piece  of 
tobacco  at  a  post,  where  they  have  fastened  a  certain  quan 
tity  and  gives  it  to  one  of  his  friends.  If  any  one  can  prove 
that  he  has  done  greater  exploits,  or  had  a  share  in  those 
the  other  boasts  of,  he  has  a  right  to  take  the  piece  of  to 
bacco  that  was  presented,  and  give  it  to  another.  This 
dance  is  followed  by  a  feast ;  but  I  do  not  see  well  from 
whence  it  derives  its  name  unless  it  be  from  the  shields,  on 
which  they  strike,  which  are  covered  with  bulls'  hides. 

"  There  are  dances  which  are  prescribed  by  the  phy 
sicians  for  the  cure  of  the  sick,  but  they  are  generally  very 
lascivious.  There  are  some  that  are  entirely  for  discussion, 
that  have  no  relation  to  anything.  They  are  almost  al 
ways  in  circles,  to  the  sound  of  the  drum  and  the  chichicoue, 
the  men  apart  from  the  women.  The  men  dance  with  their 
arms  in  their  hands,  and  though  they  never  take  hold  of 
each  other,  they  never  break  the  circle.  As  to  what  I  said 
before,  that  they  are  always  in  time,  it  is  difficult  thing  to 
believe,  that  the  music  of  the  savages  was  but  two  or  three 
notes  which  are  repeated  continually.  This  makes  their 
feasts  very  tiresome  to  a  European  after  he  has  seen  them 
once,  because  they  last  a  long  time,  and  you  hear  always 
the  siime  thing  " 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  159 


THE  DANCE  OF  THE  POTOOSI,  OR  CALUMET,  AMO"  * 

THE  TONGUSI,  CORIAKS,  KAMSCHADALES, 

YAKUSTI,  AND  OKOTS1. 

Abernethy,  in  speaking  of  the  Potoosi  dance  among  tae 
Tongusi,  gives  us  the  following  description  of  it :  "On 
the  night  previous  to  their  departure,  a  very  singular  enter 
tainment  is  given  by  the  chief,  in  which  the  Potoosi,  or  the 
sacred  pipe,  is  introduced,  for  the  purpose  of  binding  the 
warriors  to  fidelity  and  bravery.  The  Potoosi,  among  all 
the  Tongusian  tribes,  is  considered  a  sacred  instrument, 
which  their  fathers  received  from  the  Great  Spirit,  or  God 
of  War,  to  make  vows  by  fuming  tobacco.  On  the  evening, 
therefore,  before  they  depart,  the  warriors  are  summoned  to 
appear  before  the  chief,  in  their  martial  uniforms.  The 
women  also  attend,  and  they  are  attired  in  their  richest  robes. 
Having  formed  a  circle,  trie  musicians  stand  in  the  midst. 
Their  music  is  very  simple ;  for  it  consists  only  of  two  instru 
ments,  which  produce  neither  harmony  nor  order.  The 
dancers,  however,  keep  time  to  the  cadence  of  the  music. 
This  dance,  as  usual,  was  a  ring  or  circle  in  which  they 
moved  roundwards  incessantly,  till  it  was  announced  to 
seat  themselves  on  the  ground  to  partake  of  the  feast,  the 
principal  dish  of  which  consists  of  the  flesh  of  a  white  dog. 
Before  the  dog  is  put  into  the  kettle,  they  perform  several 
ceremonies  in  offering  him  while  alive  to  the  Great  Spirit ; 
for  they  imagine  that  no  animal  is  more  pleasing,  in  a 
sacrifice,  than  a  white  dog.  All  their  feasts  are  supplied 
with  the  flesh  of  the  dog,  and  they  might  as  well  be  called 
sacrifices  as  feasts  ;  because  the  offering  of  the  dog  to  their 
Suprerre  Deity  always  precedes  the  feast.  After  the  dogs 
are  consumed,  they  rise  and  renew  their  dances.  The  first 
thing,  however,  after  the  feast,  is  the  offering  of  the 
Potoosi,  to  the  Great  Spirit,  by  the  senior  chief.  The  fumes 
of  the  pipe  are  directed  upwards  towards  the  Great  Spirit. 
This  ceremony  resembles,  in  a  great  measure,  the  Asiatic 
offering  of  incense.  When  the  chief  imagines  that  the 
Deity  is  fully  satisfied  with  this  act  of  adoration,  every 


160  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

warrior  in  his  tirn,  takes  the  pipe,  which  is  decorated  with 
various  ornaments,  and,  at  every  puff,  promises  to  adhere 
to  his  commander,  and  never  flee  from  his  enemy.  At  the 
same  time  he  relates  what  he  has  done  in  favour  of  his 
nation;  and  he  foretells  his  future  achievements.  The 
chief  takes  the  Potoosi,  a  second  time,  and  at  every  puff  he 
enumerates  the  various  engagements  in  which  he  conquered 
his  enemies.  The  whole  assembly  then  join  in  applauding 
his  bravery  and  undaunted  spirit.  The  feast  of  the  Potoosi 
is  concluded  with  the  song  of  death,  in  which  they  swear 
vengeance  against  their  enemies.  Then  they  retire  to  their 
cabins  or  huts,  to  prepare  for  their  departure  on  the  follow 
ing  morning.  They  have  several  other  dances  on  various 
occasions,  and  to  describe  them  now  is  not  necessary, 
because  the  same  ceremonies  are  used  almost  on  every 
occasion." 

Santini,  whom  we  have  so  often  quoted,  describes  very 
minutely  all  their  dances;  but  the  observations  of  Aber- 
nethy,  will,  we  hope,  suffice  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of 
them  all.  Without  alluding  particularly  to  the  Coriaks, 
Kamschadales,  Yakutsi,  and  the  Okotsi,  we  shall  only  say, 
that  dances  of  a  similar  nature  are  common  among  them  as 
well  as  the  Tongusi. 


SACRIFICES  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

The  North  American  Indians  make  to  all  their  spirits 
different  sorts  of  offerings,  which  may  be  called  sacrifices. 
They  throw  into  the  lakes  tobacco  or  birds  that  have  had 
their  throats  cut,  to  render  the  gods  of  the  waters  propitious 
to  them.  In  honour  of  the  sun,  and  sometimes  also  of  the 
inferior  spirits,  they  throw  into  the  fire  a  part  of  every 
thing  they  use,  and  which  they  acknowledge  to  hold  from 
them.  It  is  sometimes  out  of  gratitude,  but  oftener  through 
interest.  Their  acknowledgment  is  also  interested ;  for 
these  people  have  no  sentiments  of  the  heart  towards  their 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  161 

deities.  There  have  been  observed  also  on  certain  occasions 
some  libations,  and  all  this  is  accompanied  with  invocations 
in  mysterious  terms,  which  the  savages  could  never  explain 
to  the  Europeans,  either  that  in  fact  they  have  no  meaning, 
or  that  the  sense  of  them  has  not  been  transmitted  by 
tradition  with  the  words ;  perhaps  also  they  keep  it  as  a 
secret  from  us. 

We  learn  also  that  collars  of  porcelain,  tobacco,  ears  of 
maize,  skins,  and  whole  animals,  especially  dogs,  were 
found  on  the  sides  of  .difficult  and  dangerous  ways,  on  rocks, 
or  by  the  side  of  the  falls  ;  and  these  were  so  many  offerings 
made  to  the  spirits  which  presided  in  these  places.  We 
have  already  said  that  a  dog  is  the  common  victim  which 
they  offer  them ;  sometimes  they  hang  him  up  alive  on  a 
tree  by  the  hind  feet,  and  let  him  die  there  raving  mad. 
The  war  feast,  which  is  always  of  dogs,  may  very  well  pass 
for  a  sacrifice.  In  short,  they  render  much  the  same  honours 
to  the  mischievous  spirits,  as  to  those  that  are  beneficent, 
when  they  have  anything  to  fear  from  their  malice. 


SACRIFICES  AMONG  THE  TONGUSI. 

"  These  tribes,"  says  Abernethy,  "  have  their  sacrifices  as 
'veil  as  the  Jews,  but  in  a  very  inferior  manner ;  because 
when  they  make  an  offering  to  a  deity,  it  is  not  on  account 
of  their  reverence  or  veneration  towards  that  being.  They 
imagine  that  if  they  sacrifice  the  dog,  or  any  other  animal 
which  is  agreeable  to  the  spirits,  they  can  conquer  th'  '.< 
enemies  in  battle,  and  shun  all  those  calamities  wh:  ^  are 
inflicted  on  the  human  species  in  this  world.  AS  for  a 
future  state,  they  imagine  that  no  person  can  be  unhappy. 
By  offering  sacrifices  to  the  malevolent  spirits- — for  it  is 
seldom  that  they  worship  the  benevolent  deity — -they  think 
that  they  can  avert  his  wrath* 

^  I  have  often  observed  that  theTongusi,  of  all  the  other 
tribes  of  Siberia,  are  those  who  pay  the  greatest  attention 


162  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

to  this  religious  ceremony ;  for  whenever  they  labour  under 
diseases,  or  scarcity  of  food,  they  first  offer  a  sacrifice  and 
then  set  out  to  hunt,  fully  convinced  of  their  success. 
Their  mode  of  offering  sacrifices  is  attended  with  many 
ceremonies  which  are  performed  by  their  bravest  warriors. 
Having  lighted  a  fire,  they  take  a  dog,  and  sometimes  a 
bear,  which  they  suspend  above  the  fire  by  several  poles, 
till  the  animal  is  totally  consumed.  It  is  customary  among 
some  Tongusian  tribes  to  dance  during  the  sacrifice ;  there 
are  others,  however,  who  stand  silent  and  motionless  till 
the  offering  is  completed ;  then  a  dance  commences  which 
lasts  for  several  hours,  as  if  rejoicing  for  appeasing  the 
angry  demon.  Before  they  go  to  battle,  they  never  fail 
to  make  an  offering.  Then  all  their  villages  are  assembled 
and  they  form  a  kind  of  procession.  The  women  walk  one 
after  another,  till  they  arrive  at  the  spot  where  the  sacrifice 
is  to  be  offered.  This  place  is  generally  some  elevated 
ground,  at  some  distance  from  the  village.  The  warriors 
march  in  full  uniform,  with  their  faces  painted.  Before  the 
dog  is  committed  to  the  flames,  they  whisper  something  in 
his  ear,  telling  him,  as  I  have  been  told,  to  obtain  for  them 
the  assistance  of  the  great  or  benevolent  spirit  in  battle,  and 
prevent  the  evil  or  mischievous  one  from  punishing 
them.3' 

Santini  says  that  the  Coriaks  and  Kamschadales  offer 
sacrifices  of  the  same  kind,  and  in  the  same  manner.  El- 
phinstone  observed  sacrifices  among  other  Siberian  tribes. 
La  Roche,  in  describing  the  religion  of  certain  tribes  in 
Tartary,  says,  that  dogs,  bears,  and  sometimes  sheep  are 
offered  by  them  to  their  Great  Spirit. 


FUNERAL  RITES  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

"  As  soon  as  the  sick  person  dies,"  says  the  Bishop  of 
Meaux,  "  the  place  is  filled  with  mournful  cries ;  and  this 
lasts  as  long  as  the  family  is  able  to  defray  the  expense. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  163 

for  they  must  keep  an  open  table  all  this  time.  The  dead 
body,  dressed  in  the  finest  robe,  with  the  face  painted,  the 
arms  and  all  that  belonged  to  the  deceased  by  his  side,  is 
exposed  at  the  door  of  the  cabin  in  the  posture  it  is  to  be 
laid  in  the  tomb ;  and  this  posture  is  the  same  in  many 
places,  as  that  of  the  child  in  the  mother's  womb.  The 
custom  of  some  nations  is  for  the  relations  of  the  deceased 
to  fast  to  the  end  of  the  funeral ;  and  all  this  interval  is 
passed  in  tears  and  cries,  in  treating  their  visiters,  in  prai 
sing  the  dead,  and  in  mutual  compliments.  In  other  places 
they  hire  women  to  weep,  who  perform  their  duty  punctu 
ally  ;  they  sing,  they  dance,  they  weep  without  ceasing, 
always  keeping  time ;  but  these  demonstrations  of  a  bor 
rowed  sorrow  do  not  prevent  what  nature  requires  from  the 
relations  of  the  deceased.  They  carry  the  body  without 
ceremony  to  the  place  of  interment;  at  least,  1  find  no 
mention  about  it  in  any  relation ;  but  when  it  is  in  the 
grave,  they  take  care  to  cover  it  in  such  a  manner,  that  the 
earth  does  not  touch  it ;  it  lies  in  a  little  cave  lined  with 
skins,  much  richer  and  better  adorned  than  their  cabins. 
Then  they  set  up  a  post  on  the  grave,  and  fix  on  it  every 
thing  that  may  show  the  esteem  they  had  for  the  deceased. 
They  sometimes  put  on  it  his  portrait  and  everything  that 
may  serve  to  show  to  passengers  who  he  was,  and  the  finest 
actions  of  his  life.  They  carry  fresh  provisions  to  his 
tomb  every  morning ;  and  as  the  dogs  and  other  beasts  do 
not  fail  to  reap  the  benefit  of  it,  they  are  willing  to  persuade 
themselves  that  these  things  have  been  eaten  by  the  souls 
of  the  dead. 

"  It  is  not  strange  after  this,  that  the  savages  believe 
in  apparitions ;  and  in  fact,  they  tell  stories  of  this  sort  all 
manner  of  ways.  I  knew  a  poor  man,  who,  by  continually 
hearing  these  stories,  fancied  that  he  had  always  a  troop  of 
ghosts  at  his  heels ;  and  as  people  took  a  pleasure  to  in 
crease  his  fears,  it  made  him  grow  foolish  ;  nevertheless,  at 
the  end  of  a  certain  number  of  years,  they  take  as  much, 
care  to  efface  out  of  their  minds  the  remenbrance  of  those 


164  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

they  have  lost,  as  they  did  before  to  preserve  it ;  and  this 
is  solely  to  put  an  end  to  the  grief  they  felt  for  their  loss. 

"  Some  missionaries  one  day  asking  their  new  converts, 
why  they  deprived  themselves  of  their  most  necessary  things 
in  favour  of  the  dead.  They  replied, (  It  is  not  only  to 
show  the  love  we  bore  to  our  relations,  but  also  that  we  may 
not  have  before  our  eyes,  in  the  things  they  used,  objects 
which  would  continually  renew  our  grief.'  It  is  also  for  this 
reason  that  they  forbear,  for  some  time,  to  pronounce  their 
names ;  and  if  any  other  of  the  family  bears  the  same  name, 
he  quits  it  all  the  time  of  mourning.  This  is  probably  also 
the  reason  why  the  greatest  outrage  that  can  be  done  a 
person,  is  to  say  to  him,  your  father  is  dead,  or,  your 
mother  is  dead. 

"  When  any  one  dies  in  the  time  of  hunting,  they  expose 
his  body  on  a  very  high  scaffold,  and  it  remains  there  till 
the  departure  of  the  troop,  who  carry  it  with  them  to  the 
village.  There  are  some  nations  who  practice  the  same 
with  regard  to  all  their  dead ;  and  I  have  seen  the  same 
practised  by  the  Missisaguez  of  Detroit.  The  bodies  of 
those  who  die  in  war  are  burned,  and  their  ashes  brought 
back  to  be  laid  in  the  burying-place  of  their  fathers. 
These  burying  places,  among  the  most  settled  nations,  are 
places  like  our  churchyards,  near  the  village.  Others  bury 
their  dead  in  the  woods,  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  or  dry  them 
and  keep  them  in  chests  till  the  festival  of  the  dead,  which 
I  shall  presently  describe  ;  but  in  some  places  they  observe 
an  odd  ceremony  for  those  that  are  drowned  or  are  frozen. 
Before  I  describe  it,  it  is  proper  to  tell  that  the  savages 
believe,  when  these  accidents  happen,  that  the  spirits,  are  in 
censed,  and  that  they  are  not  appeased  till  the  body  is  found. 
Then  the  preliminaries  of  tears,  dances,  songs,  and  feasts 
being  ended,  they  carry  the  body  to  the  usual  burying-place ; 
or  if  they  are  too  far  off,  to  the  place  where  it  is  to  remain 
till  the  festival  of  the  dead :  they  dig  there  a  very  large  pit, 
and  they  make  a  fire  in  it ;  then,  some  young  persons  ap 
proach  the  corpse,  cut  out  the  flesh  in  the  parts  which  had 
been  marked  out  by  a  master  of  the  ceremonies,  and  throw 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  165 

them  into  the  fire  with  the  bowels  ;  then  they  place  the 
corpse,  thus  mangled,  in  the  place  destined  for  it.  During 
the  whole  operation,  the  women,  especially  the  relations  of 
the  deceased,  go  continually*  round  those  that  are  at  it,  ex 
horting  them  to  acquit  themselves  well  of  their  employment, 
and  put  beads  of  porcelain  in  their  mouths,  as  we  would 
give  sugar-plums  to  children  to  entice  them  to  do  what  we 
desire. 

"The  interment  is  followed  by  presents,  which  they 
make  to  the  afflicted  family ;  and  this  is  called  covering  the 
dead.  These  presents  are  made  in  the  name  of  the  village 
and  sometimes  in  the  name  of  the  nation.  Allies  also  make 
presents  at  the  death  of  considerable  persons.  But  first  the 
family  of  the  deceased  make  a  great  feast  in  his  name,and  this 
feast  is  accompanied  with  games,  for  which  they  propose  pri 
zes,  which  are  performed  in  this  manner.  A  chief  throws  on 
the  tomb  three  sticks  about  a  foot  long ;  a  young  man,  a 
woman,  and  a  maiden,  take  each  of  them,  and  those  of  their 
age,  their  sex,  and  condition,  strive  to  wrest  it  out  of  their 
hands.  Those  with  whom  the  sticks  remain  are  conquerors. 
There  are  also  races,  and  they  sometimes  shoot  at  a  mark. 
In  short,  by  a  custom  which  we  fhid  established  in  all  the 
times  of  Pagan  antiquity,  a  ceremony  entirely  mournful  is 
terminated  by  songs  and  shouts  of  victory. 

"  It  is  true  that  the  family  of  the  deceased  take  no  part  in 
these  rejoicings ;  they  observe  even  in  his  cabin  after  the 
obsequies,  a  mourning,  the  laws  of  which  are  very  severe ; 
they  must  have  their  hair  cut,  and  their  faces  blacked :  they 
must  stand  with  their  faces  wrapped  in  a  blanket ;  they 
must  not  look  at  any  person,  nor  make  any  visits,  nor  eat 
anything  hot ;  they  must  deprive  themselves  of  all  pleasures, 
wear  scarcely  anything  on  their  bodies,  and  never  warm 
themselves  at  the  fire,  even  in  the  depth  of  winter. 

"  After  this  deep  mourning,  which  lasts  two  years,  they 
begin  a  second  more  moderate,  which  lasts  two  or  three 
years  longer,  and  which  may  be  softened  by  little  and  little ;  m 
but  they  dispense  with  nothing  that  is  prescribed,  without  * 
the  consent  cf  the  cabin  to  which  the  widow  or  widower 


166  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

belongs.  These  permissions,  as  well  as  the  end  of  the 
mourning  always  cost  a  feast. 

"  The  first  and  often  the  only  compliment  which  the 
Indians  make  to  a  friend,  and  'even  to  a  stranger  whom 
they  receive  in  their  cabins,  is  to  weep  for  those  of  his 
own  relations,  whom  he  has  lost  since  they  saw  him  last. 
They  put  their  hands  on  his  head,  and  they  give  him  to  un 
derstand  who  it  is  they  weep  for,  without  mentioning  his 
name.  All  this  is  founded  in  nature  and  has  nothing  in  it 
of  barbarity.  But  what  I  am  going  to  speak  of  does  not 
appear  to  be  any  way  excusable ;  that  is,  the  behaviour  of 
these  people  towards  those  who  die  by  a  violent  death,  even 
though  it  is  in  \var,  and  for  the  service  of  their  country. 

"  They  have  got  a  notion  that  their  souls,  in  the  other 
world,  have  no  communication  with  the  others ;  and  on 
this  principle  they  burn  them,  or  bury  them  directly,  some 
times  even  before  they  expire.  They  never  lay  them  in 
the  common  burying-place,  and  they  give  them  no  part  in 
the  great  ceremony  which  is  renewed  every  eight  years 
among  some  nations,  and  every  ten  years  among  the  Huron 
and  Iroquois. 

"  They  call  it  the  festival  of  the  dead,  or  the  feast  of  souls  ; 
and  here  follows  what  I  could  collect  that  was  most  uni 
form  and  remarkable  concerning  this  ceremony,  which  is 
the  most  singular,  and  the  most  celebrated  of  the  religion 
of  the  savages.  They  begin  by  fixing  a  place  for  the  as 
sembly  to  meet  in ;  then  they  choose  the  king  of  the  feast, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  give  orders  for  everything,  and  to 
invite  the  neigbouring  villages.  The  day  appointed  being 
come,  all  the  savages  assemble,  and  go  in  procession  two 
and  two  to  the  burying-place.  There  every  one  labours  to 
uncover  the  bodies;  then  they  continue  some  time  contem-  it 

plating  in  silence  a  spectacle  so  capable  of  exciting  the 
most  serious  reflections.  The  women  first  interrupt  this 
religious  silence,  by  sending  forth  mournful  cries,  which  [j 

, increase  the  horror  with  which  everyone  is  filled. 

"  This  first  act  being  ended  they  take  up  the  carcasses, 
and  pick  up  the  dry  and  separated  bones,  and  put  them  in 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  167 

parcels ;  and  those  who  are  ordered  to  carry  them,  take 
them  on  their  shoulders.  If  there  are  any  bodies  not 
entirely  decayed,  they  wash  them ;  they  clean  away  the 
corrupted  flesh,  and  all  the  filth,  and  wrap  them  in  new 
robes  of  beaver  skins ;  then  they  return  in  the  same  order 
they  came;  .and  when  the  procession  is  come  into  the 
village,  every  one  lays  in  his  cabin  the  burden  he  was 
charged  with.  During'  the  march,  the  women  continue 
their  lamentations,  and  the  men  show  the  same  signs  of 
grief  as  they  did  on  the  day  of  the  death  of  those  whose 
remains  they  have  been  taking  up.  This  second  act  is 
folio  wed  by  a  feast  in  each  cabin,  in  honour  of  the  dead  of 
the  family. 

"  The  following  days  they  make  public  feasts  ;  and  they 
are  accompanied,  as  on  the  day  of  the  funeral,  with  dances, 
games,  and  combats,  for  which  there  are  also  prizes  pro 
posed.  From  time  to  time  they  make  certain  cries,  which 
they  call  the  cries  of  the  souls.  They  make  presents  to 
strangers,  among  whom  there  are  sometimes  some  who 
come  an  hundred  and  fifty  leagues,  and  they  receive 
presents  from  them.  They  also  take  advantage  of  these  op 
portunities  to  treat  of  common  affairs,  or  for  the  election  of 
a  chief.  Every  thing  passes  with  a  great  deal  of  order, 
decency,  and  modesty ;  and  every  one  appears  to  entertain 
sentiments  suitable  to  the  principal  action.  Every  thing, 
even  in  the  dances  and  songs,  carries  an  air  of  sadness  and 
mourning ;  and  one  can  see  in  all  hearts  pierced  with  the 
sharpest  sorrow.  The  most  insensible  would  be  affected  at 
the  sight  of  this  spectacle.  After  some  days  are  past,  they 
go  again  in  procession  to  the  great  council  room,  built  for 
the  purpose ;  they  hang  up  against  the  walls  the  bones  and 
the  carcasses  in  the  same  condition  they  took  them  from  the 
burying-place,  and  they  lay  forth  the  presents  designed  for 
the  dead.  If  among  these  sad  remains  there  happens  to  be 
those  of  a  chief,*  his  successor  gives  a  great  feast  in  his 
name,  and  sings  his  song.  In  many  places  the  bones  are  • 
carried  from  village  to  village,  and  they  are  received  every 
where  with  great  demonstrations  of  grief  and  tenderness 


168  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

Whithersoever  they  go,  they  receive  presents.  Lastly,  they 
carry  them  to  the  place  where  they  are  to  remain  always 
But  I  forgot  to  mention  that  ,all  these  marches  are  made  to 
the  sound  of  their  instruments,  accompanied  with  their  best 
voices,  arid  that  every  one  in  these  marches  keeps  time  to 
the  music. 

"  This  last  and  common  burial-place  is  a  great  pit,  which 
hey  line  with  their  finest  furs  and  the  best  things  they 
have.  The  presents  designed  for  the  dead  are  set  by  them 
selves.  By  degrees  as  the  procession  arrives,  each  family 
ranges  themselves  on  a  kind  of  scaffold  set  up  round  the 
pit ;  and  the  moment  the  bones  are  laid  in,  the  women 
renew  their  weeping  and  wailing.  Then  all  present  go 
down  into  the  pit,  and  every  one  takes  a  little  of  the  earth, 
which  they  keep  carefully.  They  fancy  it  procures  luck  at 
play.  The  bodies  and  the  bones,  ranged  in  order,  are 
covered  with  entire  new  furs,  and  over  that  with  bark,  on 
which  they  throw  stones,  wood,  and  earth.  Every  one 
returns  to  his  own  cabin ;  but  the  women  come  for  several 
days  after,  and  pour  Sagamitty  on  the  place." 


FUNERAL  RITES  AMONG  THE  CORIAKS,  TONGUSI,  AND 
.       KAMSCHADALES. 

We  are  told  by  several  travellers  that  mourning  for  the 
dead  is  common  among  the  various  tribes  that  inhabit 
Siberia;  and  that  they  have  their  funeral  ceremonies, 
which  are  very  ridiculous.  They  meet  their  fate  with  a 
degree  of  fortitude  which  is  inspired  by  hopes  of  being 
rendered  more  happy  after  their  departure  from  this  world. 
Whenever  the  dying  person  breathes  his  last,  they  dress 
the  corpse  in  the  finest  robes  they  can  procure.  Their 
presents  to  the  deceased  are  also  innumerable.  In  carrying 
their  dead  bodies  to  the  grave,  women  are  hired  to  weep, 
mourn,  and  sing  melancholy  airs.  The  corpses  are,  how 
ever,  exposed  for  several  days  on  scaffolds  before  they  are 


NORTH   AMERJCAN    INDIANS.  169 

interred.  "  The  Tongusi,"  says  Abernethy, "  evince  a  great 
deal  of  tenderness  at  the  death  of  any  of  their  family ;  their 
mourning  sometimes  lasts  for  a  whole  year.  For  several 
days  they  are  commonly  exposed  on  scaffolds  'within  their 
cabins,  and  at  other  times  near  the  place  of  interment. 
They  bring  them  presents  and  food,  which  is  consumed, 
they  imagine,  by  their  spirits.  The  Coriaks  have  a  practice 
of  embalming  their  dead  in  caves  where  the  earth  does  not 
touch  the  corpse.  I  have  seen  among  them  several  bodies 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  after  being  dead  for  several 
years.  In  accompanying  the  remains  of  the  deceased  to 
the  burying  ground,  the  women  form  a  procession,  in  which 
they  walk  one  after  another  ;  but  these  are  the  women  who 
are  hired  to  weep  and  sing ;  the  rest  move  onwards  irregu 
larly.  All  the  brave  deeds  of  the  deceased  are  enumerated 
publicly  by  a  crier,  who  is  generally  a  near  relation  of  him 
whose  memory  and  fame  he  endeavours  to  perpetuate.  The 
Kamschadales  use  almost  the  same  ceremonies,  but  among 
them  the  female  mourners  paint  themselves  black,  and 
remain  so  for  ten  days,  during  which  time  they  reside  with 
the  friends  and  relations  of  those  whose  death  they  lament." 
Santini  and  La  Roche  say  that  the  Tongusi  and  Coriaks 
mourn  for  the  deceased  for  a  considerable  time ;  that  the 
pits  and  caves  where  the  dead  are  to  be  carried,  must  first 
be  fumigated  or  incensed  by  burning  rosin  or  some  dried 
aromatic  herb.  La  Roche  observed  in  Kamschatka  several 
women  who  sang,  wept,  and  danced  at  the  interment  of 
their  dead.  Santini  was  informed  that  it  was  customary 
among  the  Tongusi  and  Coriaks  to  bury,  along  with  the 
dead,  everything  that  was  dear  to  them  while  alive,  especi 
ally  their  arms  and  family  distinctions. 
15 


170  ORIGIN   OF   THE 


THE  FESTIVAL  OF    DREAMS  AMONG  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

We  know  not  if  religion  has  ever  had  any  share  in  what 
they  generally  call  the  festival  of  dreams,  and  which  the 
Iroquois,  and  some  others,  have  more  properly  called  the 
turning  of  the  brain.  This  is  a  kind  of  Bacchanal,  which 
commonly  lasts  fifteen  days,  and  is  celebrated  about  the 
end  of  winter. 

They  act  at  this  time  all  kinds  of  fooleries,  and  every 
one  runs  from  cabin  to  cabin,  disguised  in  a  thousand 
ridiculous  ways ;  they  break  and  overset  everything,  and 
nobody  dares  to  contradict  them.  Whoever  chooses  not  to 
be  present  in  such  a  confusion,  nor  be  exposed  to  all  the 
tricks  they  play,  must  keep  out  of  the  way.  If  they  meet 
any  one,  they  desire  him  to  guess  their  dreams,  and  if  they 
do,  it  is  at  their  expense,  for  he  must  give  the  thing  he 
dreamed  of.  When  it  ends,  they  return  everything,  they 
make  a  great  feast,  and  they  only  think  how  to  repair  the 
sad  effects  of  the  masquerade,  for  most  commonly  it  is  no 
trifling  business ;  because  this  is  also  one  of  those  oppor 
tunities  which  they  wait  for,  without  saying  anything,  to 
give  those  a  good  drubbing  who,  they  think,  have  done 
them  any  wrong.  When  the  festival,  however  is  over,  all 
injuries  are  forgotten 

The  following  description  of  one  of  these  festivals  is 
found  in  the  journal  of  one  of  the  missionaries,  who  was 
forced  to  be  a  spectator  of  it,  much  against  his  will,  at 
Onontague : 

"  The  approaching  festival  was  proclaimed  on  the  22nd 
of  February,  by  the  elders,  with  as  much  gravity  as  if  it 
had  been  a  weighty  affair  of  state.  They  had  no  sooner 
re-entered  their  cabin,  than  there  came  forth  instantly,  men, 
women,  and  children,  almost  quite  naked,  though  the 
weather  was  excessively  cold.  They  entered  directly  into 
all  the  cabins,  then  they  went  raving  about  on  every  side, 
without  knowing  whither  they  went  or  what  they  would 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  171 

have  One  would  take  them  for  people  who  were  drunk  or 
mad. 

"  Many  returned  immediately  to  their  cabins  after  ut 
tering  some  howlings.  Others  were  resolved  to  make  use 
of  the  privilege  of  the  festival,  during  which  they  are  re 
puted  to  be  out  of  their  senses,  and  of  conseqence  not  respon 
sible  for  what  they  do,  and  revenge  their  private  quarrels. 
They  do  so  to  some  purpose,  for  they  threw  whole  pails  full 
of  water  on  some  people,  and  this  water,  which  froze  imme 
diately,  was  enough  to  chill  them  with  cold.  Others  they 
covered  with  hot  ashes,  or  all  sorts  of  filth ;  others  took  light 
ed  coals,  or  firebrands,  and  threw  them  at  the  head  of  the  first 
they  met ;  others  broke  every  thing  in  the  cabins,  falling  on 
those  they  bore  a  grudge  to,  and  beating  them  unmercifully. 
To  be  freed  from  this  persecution,  one  must  guess  dreams, 
which  often  no  one  can  form  any  conception  of. 

"A  missionary  and  his  companion  were  often  on  the 
point  of  being  more  than  witnesses  of  these  extravagan 
cies  ;  one  of  these  madmen  went  into  a  cabin,  where  he 
had  seen  them  take  a  shelter  at  the  first.  Being  disap 
pointed  by  their  flight,  he  cried  'out  that  they  must  guess 
his  dream,  and  satisfy  it  immediately:  as  they  were  too 
long  about  it,  he  said, '  I  must  kill  a  Frenchman.9  Im 
mediately  the  master  of  the  cabin  threw  him  a  French  coat, 
to  which  this  madman  gave  several  stabs. 

"  Then  he  that  had  thrown  the  coat,  growing  furious  in 
his  turn,  said  he  would  revenge  the  Frenchman,  and  burn 
the  whole  village  down  to  the  ground.  He  began,  in  fact, 
by  setting  fire  to  his  own  cabin,  where  the  scene  was  first 
acted  ;  and  when  all  the  rest  were  gone  out,  he  shut  him 
self  up  in  it.  The  fire  which  he  had  lighted  up  in  several 
places,  did  not  yet  appear  on  the  outside,  when  one  of  the 
missionaries  came  to  the  door.  He  was  told  what  had  hap 
pened,  and  wras  afraid  that  his  host  could  not  get  out, 
though  he  might  be  willing  ;  then  he  broke  open  the  door 
and  laid  hold  of  the  savage,  turned  him  out  and  extinguish 
ed  the  fire.  His  host,  nevertheless,  ran  through  the  village, 
crying  out  that  he  would  burn  it.  They  threw  a  dog  to 


172  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

him,  in  hopes  that  he  would  glut  his  fury  on  that  animal ; 
he  said  it  was  not  enough  to  repair  the  affront  he  had  re 
ceived  by  the  killing  of  a  Frenchman  in  his  cabin.     They 
threw  him   a  second   dog,  which  he  cut  in  pieces.     His 
fury  was  then  instantly  over. 

"  This  man  had  also  a  brother  who  would  play  his  part. 
He  dressed  himself  up  nearly  as  painters  represent  the  satyrs, 
covering  himself  from  head  to  foot  with  the  leaves  of  maize. 
He  equipped  two  wromen  like  real  Megarai,  their  heads 
blacked,  their  hair  dishevelled,  a  wolf's  skin  over  their 
bodies,  and  a  club  in  their  hands.  Thus  attended,  he  goes 
into  all  the  cabins,  yelling  and  howling  with  all  his 
strength.  He  climbs  on  the  roof  and  plays  as  many  tricks 
there  as  the  most  skilful  dancer  could  perform ;  then  he 
made  most  terrible  outcries,  as  if  he  had  got  some  great 
hurt ;  then  he  came  down  and  marched  on  gravely,  preceded 
by  his  two  Bacchantes,  who,  growir  or  furious  in  their  turn, 
overset  with  their  clubs  everything  that  met  them  in  their 
way.  They  were  no  sooner  out  of  this  frenzy,  or  tired  with 
acting  their  parts,  than  another  woman  took  their  place  and 
entered  the  cabin  in  which  were  the  two  missionaries. 
She  was  armed  with  a  blunderbuss,  which  she  had  just  got 
by  having  her  dream  guessed.  She  sang  the  war  song, 
making  a  thousand  imprecations  on  herself,  if  she  did  not 
bring  home  some  prisoners. 

"  A  warrior  followed  close  after  this  Amazon,  with  a 
bow  and  arrow  in  one  hand,  and  a  bayonet  in  the  other. 
After  he  had  made  himself  hoarse  with  bawling,  he  then 
threw  himself  all  at  once  on  a  woman,  who  was  standing 
quietly  by,  not  expecting  it,  and  lifting  up  his  bayonet  to 
her  throat,  took  her  by  the  hair,  cut  off  a  handful  and  went 
away.  Then  a  juggler  appeared,  holding  a  stick  in  his 
hand  adorned  with  feathers,  by  means  of  which  he  boasted 
that  he  could  reveal  the  most  secret  things.  A  savage  ac 
companied  him,  carrying  a  vessel  I  know  not  of  what 
liquor,  which  from  time  to  time  he  gave  him  to  drink ;  the 
juggler  had  no  sooner  taken  it  in  his  mouth,  than  he  spit  it 
out  again,  blowing  on  his  hands  and  his  stick,  and  at  every 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  173 

time  he  explained  all  the  enigmas  that  were  proposed  to 
him. 

"  Two  women  came  afterwards,  and  gave  to  understand 
that  they  had  some  desires,  one  directly  spread  a  mat  on  the 
ground ;  they  guessed  that  she  desired  some  fish,  which 
were  given  her.  The  other  had  a  hoe  in  her  hand,  and 
they  judged  that  she  desired  a  field  to  cultivate ;  they  car 
ried  her  out  of  the  village  and  set  her  to  work.  A  chief 
had  dreamed,  as  he  said,  that  he  saw  two  human  hearts  they 
could  not  explain  his  dream,  and  at  this  every  body  was 
greatly  concerned.  It  made  a  great  noise,  they  even  pro 
longed  the  festival  for  a  day,  but  all  was  in  vain  and  he 
was  obliged  to  make  himself  easy  without.  Sometimes  there 
were  troops  of  people  that  made  shamfights;  sometimes 
companies  of  dancers  who  acted  all  sorts  of  farces.  This 
madness  lasted  four  days,  and  it  appeared  that  it  was  out 
of  respect  to  the  two  missionaries  that  they  had  thus  short 
ened  the  time. 

"  But  there  were  as  many  disorders  committed  in  this 
space  of  time,  as  they  used  to  do  in  fifteen  days ;  neverthe 
less  they  had  this  regard  for  the  missionaries,  that  they 
did  not  disturb  them  in  their  functions,  and  did  not  hin 
der  the  Christians  from  discharging  themselves  of  their  re 
ligious  duties.  Let  this  suffice  to  give  the  reader  some  idea 
concerning  their  festivals  of  dreams  " 


FESTIVAL    OF  DREAMS  AMONG    THE  TONGUSI,  CORIAKS, 
AND  KAMSCHADALES. 

Several  travellers  who  visited  the  north-east  parts  of 
Asia  mention  several  festivals,  and  among  them  rejoicings 
called  the 'Nokoosi  or  interpretations  of  dreams.  In  a  cer 
tain  season  of  the  year,  we  are  told  by  Santini  that  all  the 
young  people  of  both  sexes  among  the  Coriaks  assemble  in 
order  to  guess  dreams.  These  merriments  and  entertain 
ments,  he  tells  us,  continue  for  several  days,  during  which 
15* 


174  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

time  dances,  songs,  and  music,  form  the  principal  part  of 
the  entertainment.  According  to  Abernethy,  they  paint 
and  disguise  themselves  when  they  go  abroad  without  pay 
ing  any  respect  either  to  morality  or  decency.  Many  of 
them,  especially  among  the  Tongusi,  ftiys  the  same  author, 
consider  this  a  favourable  opportunity  of  revenging  insults 
and  injuries,  because  they  imagine  that  they  are  not  known 
to  the  sufferer.  La  Roche  compares  the  'Nokoosi  of  the 
Kamschadales  with  the  Carnivali  of  the  continent  of  Europe, 
whi^ch  takes  place  yearly  in  Italy,  Spain,  Portugal,  and  in 
some  parts  of  France  before  lent  commences.  During  the 
celebration  of  the  Carnivali,  which  lasts  for  fourteen  days, 
those  who  join  it  masquerade  themselves  and  are  at  full 
liberty  to  play  all  tricks  with  impunity  which  cannot  be 
considered  criminal.  The  Kamschadales,  as  well  as  the 
North  American  Indians,  may  do  the  same  without  punish 
ment  ;  because,  according  to  their  custom,  every  person 
makes  himself  as  foolish  as  he  can.  Abernethy  speaks  of 
his  having  distinguished  himself  on  one  of  these  occasions 
among  the  Coriaks  for  the  sole  purpose,  as  he  himself  tells 
us,  of  saving  his  life ;  because  he  considered  them  actually 
deranged,  and  consequently  his  life  in  danger  on  account 
of  being  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner.  Santini  found  himself 
in  the  same  predicament  among  some  tribes  of  the  Tongusi, 
and  would  most  likely  have  been  grossly  insulted,  had  not 
his  converts,  the  Tongusian  princes,  interfered  in  his  behalf. 
Without  describing  the  barbarous  scenes  which  these 
travellers  witnessed  during  these  festivals  among  certain 
tribes  in  north-east  Asia,  we  assure  our  reader  that  they 
were  not  much  different  from  those  which  have  been  ob 
served  among  the  North  American  Indians  on  similar  oc 
casions. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS  175 


THE  GAME   OF  THE  DISH,  OR  OF  LITTLE  BONES  AMONG 
THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


The  game  of  the  dish,  which  they  also  call  the  game  of 
the  little  bones,  is  only  played  by  two  persons,  each  has  six 
or  eight  little  bones,  which  resembje  apricot  stones  in  their 
shape  and  bigness."  On  viewing  them  closely,  however,  a 
person  can  perceive  six  unequal  surfaces,  the  two  principal 
of  which  are  painted,  one  black  and  the  other  white,  in 
clining  to  yellow. 

They  make  them  jump  up,  by  striking  the  ground,  or  the 
table,  with  a  round  and  hollow  dish,  which  contains  them, 
and  which  they  twist  round  first  When  they  have  no  dish, 
they  throw  the  bones  up  in  the  air  with  their  hands ;  if,  on 
falling,  they  come  all  of  one  colour,  he  who  plays  wTins  five. 
There  is  forty  up,  and  they  substract  the  numbers  gained 
by  the  adverse  party.  Five  bones  of  the  same  colour  win, 
but  one  for  the  first  time,  but  the  second  time  they  win  the 
game,  while  a  less  number  wins  nothing. 

He  that  wins  the  game  continues  playing.  The  loser 
gives  his  place  to  another,  who  is  named  by  the  markers  of 
his  side  ;  for  they  make  parties  at  first,  and  often  the  whole 
village  is  concerned  in  the  game  ;  oftentimes  also  one  vil 
lage  plays  against  another.  Each  party  chooses  a  marker; 
but  he  withdraws  when  he  pleases,  which  never  happens, 
but  when  his  party  loses.  At  every  throw,  especially  if  it 
happens  to  be  decisive,  they  make  great  shouts.  The  play 
ers  appear  like  people  possessed  with  an  evil  spirit,  and  the 
spectators  are  not  more  calm.  They  all  make  a  thousand 
contortions,  talk  to  the  bones,  load  the  spirit  of  the  adverse 
party  with  imprecations,  and  the  whole  village  echoes  with 
nowlings.  If  all  this  does  not  recover  them  back,  the 
losers  may  put  off  the  party  till  the  next  day ;  it  costs  them 
only  a  small  treat  to  the  company. 

Then  they  prepare  to  return  to  the  engagement,  each 


176  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

invoking  his  genius,  and  throwing  some  tobacco  in  the 
fire  to  his  honour.  They  ask  him,  above  all  things,  for 
lucky  dreams.  As  soon  as  day  appears  they  go  again  to 
play ;  but  if  the  losers  fancy  that  the  goods  in  their  cabins 
made  them  unlucky,  the  first  thing  they  do  is  to  change 
them  all.  The  great  parties  commonly  last  five  or  six  days, 
and  often  continue  all  night.  In  the  mean  time,  as  all  the 
persons  present,  at  least  those  who  are  concerned  in  the 
game,  are  in  an  agitation  that  deprives  them  of  reason,  as 
they  quarrel  and  fight,  which  never  happens  among  the 
savages,  but  on  these  occasions,  and  in  drunkenness,  one 
may  judge,  if  when  they  have  done  playing,  they  do  not* 
want  rest. 

The  Indians  are  so  superstitious,  that  these  parties  of 
play  are  often  made  by  order  of  the  physicians  or  at  the  re 
quest  of  the  sick.  There  needs  no  more  for  this  purpose 
than  the  dream  of  the  one  or  the  other.  This  dream  is 
always  taken  for  the  order  of  some  spirit,  and  then  they 
prepare  themselves  for  play  with  a  great  deal  of  care. 
They  assemble  for  several  nights  to  try  and  to  see  who  has 
the  luckiest  hand.  They  consult  their  Genii,  they  fast,  the 
married  persons  observe  continence  ;  and  all  this  to  obtain 
a  favourable  dream.  Every  morning  they  relate  what 
dreams  they  have  had,  and  all  those  things  which  they 
dreamed  of,  were  those  which  they  thought  lucky.  They 
make  a  collection  of  all,  and  put  them  into  little  bags 
which  they  carry  about  with  them.  If  any  one  has  the 
reputation  of  being  lucky,  that  is  in  the  opinion  of  these 
people,  of  having  a  familiar  spirit  more  powerful,  or  more 
inclined  to  do  good,  they  never  fail  to  make  him  keep  near 
him  who  holds  the  dish.  They  even  go  to  a  great  way 
sometimes  to  fetch  him ;  and  if,  through  age  or  any 
infirmity,  he  cannot  walk,  they  will  carry  him  on  their 
shoulders. 

They  have  often  pressed  the  missionaries  to  be  present 
at  these  games,  as  they  believe  their  guardian  Genii  are 
more  powerful.  It  happened  one  day  in  a  Huron  village, 
that  a  sick  person  having  sent  for  a  juggler,  this  quack 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  177 

prescribed  the  game  of  the  dish,  and  appointed  a  village,  at 
some  distance  from  the  sick  person's  residence,  to  play  at- 
They  immediately  sent  to  ask  the  leave  of  their  chief;  it 
was  granted,  and  they  played.  When  the  game  was  end 
ed,  the  sick  person  returned  many  thanks  to  the  players  for 
having  cured  her,  as  she  said.  But  there  wras  nothing  of 
truth  in  all  this ;  on  the  contrary,  she  was  worse. 

The  ill  humour  of  this  women  and  her  relations  fell  on 
the  missionaries,  who  had  refused  to  assist  at  the  game  not 
withstanding  all  the  importunities  they  used  to  engage 
them  ;  and  in  their  anger  for  the  little  complaisance  they 
showed  them  on  this  occasion,  they  told  them  by  way  of 
reproach,  that  since  their  arrival  in  this  country  the  Genii 
of  the  savages  had  lost  their  power.  Such  are  the  obser 
vations  of  a  French  missionary  who  resided  a  long  time 
among  the  Hurons. 


GAME  OF  THE  PATOONI  AMONG  THE  KAMSCHADALES. 

The  game  of  the  Patooni,  which  La  Roche  briefly  de 
scribes,  was,  from  every  appearance,  originally  the  same 
as  that  of  the  little  bones  among  the  American  Indians, 
although  in  Kamschatka  sticks  were  substituted  for  bones. 
"  It  is  surprising,"  says  La  Roche,  "  to  witness  the  simpli 
city  and  superstition  of  some  of  these  people  while  they 
play  some  games.  Before  they  set  out  to  hunt,  they 
frequently  form  a  party  to  play  the  Patooni,  which  consists 
in  throwing  up  in  the  air  small  sticks  about  the  size  of  an 
orange,  with  four  sides,  and  resembling  the  dice  of  the 
Europeans,  because  each  side  has  a  certain  number.  He 
who  has  the  greatest  number  upwards,  when  they  fall  on 
the  ground,  is  conqueror,  and  'expects  to  be  the  most  suc 
cessful  in  the  chase.  It  is  considered,  therefore,  a  great 
favour  to  belong  to  the  winner's  party  when  they  separate 
themselves  into  different  companies,  because  they  imagine 


173  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

that  they  cannot  be  utterly  disappointed  while  they  are  the 
associates  of  him  who  is  to  kill  the  most." 

Abernethy  observed  this  and  other  frivolous  games, 
which  he  did  not  deem  worthy  of  any  notice.  Santini,  in 
speaking  of  a  certain  game  which  he  does  not  describe, 
says,  that  the  Tongusi,  when  they  played,  resembled  mad 
men  more  than  rational  beings,  from  the  way  in  which 
their  feelings  were  excited. 


THE  NAMING  OF  CHILDREN  AMONG  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

This  ceremony  is  performed  at  a  feast  where  no  persons 
are  present  but  those  of  the  same  sex  with  the  child  that  is 
to  be  named.  While  they  are  eating,  the  child  is  upon  the 
knees  of  the  father  or  mother,  who  continually  recommend 
it  to  the  spirits,  especially  to  that  which  is  to  be  its  guardian 
genius ;  for  every  person  has  their  own,  but  not  at  their 
birth.  They  never  make  new  names ;  each  family  has  a 
certain  number,  which  they  take  by  turns,  sometimes  also 
they  change  their  names  as  they  grow  up,  and  there  are 
some  names  which  they  cannot  go  by  after  a  certain  age  ; 
this,  however,  is  not  the  custom  every  where.  They  never 
call  a  man  by  his  proper  name,  when  they  talk  to  him  in 
common  discourse ;  this,  they  imagine,  would  be  impolite. 
They  always  give  him  the  quality  he  has  with  respect  to  the 
person  that  speaks  to  him ;  but  when  there  is  between  them 
no  relation  or  affinity,  they  use  the  term  of  brother  or  uncle, 
nephew  or  cousin,  according  to  each  other's  age,  or  accord 
ing  to  the  value  they  have  for  the  person  whom  they 
address. 

Farther,  it  is  not  so  much  to  render  the  names  immortal, 
that  they  revive  them,  as  to  engage  those  to  whom  they  are 
given,  either  to  imitate  the  brave  actions  of  their  prede 
cessors,  of  to  revenge  them  if  they  have  been  killed  or 
burned,  or,  lastly,  to  comfort  and  help  their  families.  Thus 


NORTH   AV.KIUCAN    INDIANS.  179 

a  woman  who  has  lost  her  husband,  or  her  son,  and  finds 
herself  without  the  support  of  any  person,  delays  as  little 
as  she  can  to  transfer  the  name  him  she  mourns  for,  to  some 
person  capable  of  supplying  his  place.  They  change  their 
names  on  many  other  occasions — to  give  the  particulars  of 
which  would  take  up  too  much  time.  There  needs  no  more 
for  this  purpose  than  a  dream,  or  the  order  of  a  physician, 
or  some  such  trifling  cause. 


THE  NAMING  OF  CHILDREN  AMONG  THE  KAMSCHADALES. 

"  Si  prepara,"  says,  Santini,  "  dai  Coriaki,  un  banchetto, 
quando  vogliono  nominare  i  fanciulli.  Se  sara  una  fan- 
ciulla,  bisogna  che  tutta  la  compagnia,  eccetto  il  padre,  sia 
composta  di  donne,  e  d'uomini  solamente,  eccetto  il  padre, 
madre,  se  sara  un  ragazzo.  Ogni  famiglia  ritiene  gli 
stessi  nomi  che  avevano  ricevuti  da  loro  antenati.  Sovente 
volte  pero,  quando  una  vedova  e  maritata  un  altra  volta,  il 
nuovo  marito  prendevil  nome  di  lui  chi  e  morto.  I  vecchii 
si  chiamano  dai  giovani,  i  loro  padri,  e  quelli  della 
medesima  eta,  i  loro  fratelli." 

According  to  Santini,  the  Coriaks  and  other  tribes  of 
Siberia,  prepare  a  feast,  when  they  are  to  name  a  child. 
If  it  be  a  boy,  the  ceremony  is  performed  in  the  presence  of 
men  alone,  excepting  the  mother  of  the  child,  and  in  the 
presence  of  women  only,  excepting  the  father,  if  it  be  a 

firl.  Every  family  have  retained  the  names  which  have 
een  delivered  down  to  them  by  their  ancestors ;  sometimes, 
however,  when  a  widow  is  married  again,  the  name  of  the 
deceased  is  transferred  to  her  new  husband.  Old  men  are 
generally  by  the  young  called  fathers,  and  those  of  the  same 
age  brothers.  La  Roche  tells  us  that  the  children  of  some 
Tartar  tribes,  who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  were 
allowed  to  go  only  a  week  by  the  names  which  they  receiv 
ed  at  the  baptismal  font ;  because  they  dreamed  that  the 
spirits  of  their  fathers  were  offended  at  the  changing  of 
their  names. 


180  ORIGIN"    OF    THE 


JUGGLERS  AMONG  THE  NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 

These  jugglers,  according  to  the  Bishop  of  Meaux,  make 
a  profession  of  corresponding  only  with  what  they  call  the 
beneficial  Genii,  and  who  boast  of  knowing  by  their  means 
whatever  passes  in  the  most  distant  countries,  and  whatever 
shall  come  to  pass  in  the  most  distant  ages.  They  pretend 
to  discover  the  use  and  nature  of  the  most  hidden  diseases, 
and  to  have  the  secret  of  curing  them  ;  to  discern  in  the 
most  intricate  affairs  what  resolution  it  is  best  to  take ;  to 
explain  the  most  obscure  dreams  ;  to  obtain  success  in  the 
most  difficult  undertakings,  and  to  render  the  gods  propiti 
ous  to  warriors  and  hunters.  These  pretended  good  Genii 
are,  like  all  the  Pagan  deities,  real  devils,  who  receive  ho 
mages  that  are  due  only  to  the  true  God,  and  whose  deceits 
are  still  more  dangerous  than  those  of  the  evil  Genii,  be 
cause  they  contribute  more  to  keep  their  worshippers  in 
blindness. 

It  is  certain,  that  among  their*  agents  the  boldest  are 
more  respected.  With  a  little  artifice,  therefore,  they 
easily  impose  on  those  who  are  brought  up  in  superstition. 
Although  they  might  have  seen  the  birth  of  these  impostors, 
if  they  take  a  fancy  to  give  themselves  a  supernatural  birth, 
they  find  people,  who  believe  them  on  their  word,  as  much 
as  if  they  had  seen  them  come  down  from  heaven,  and  who 
take  it  for  a  kind  of  enchantment  and  illusion,  that  they 
thought  them  born  at  first  like  other  men.  Their  artifices 
are,  in  general,  so  gross,  and  so  common,  that  there  are 
none  but  fools  and  children  who  are  imposed  upon  by 
them.  But  when  they  act  as  physicians,  their  skill  is  never 
doubted  :  for  the  greatest  credulity  is  found  in  every  coun 
try,  concerning  the  recovery  of  health. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  persons  whose  words  could  not  be 
suspected,  that  when  these  impostors  shut  themselves  up  in 
their  stoves  to  sweat,  and  this  is  one  of  their  most  common 
preparations  to  perform  their  tricks,  they  differ  very  little 
from  the  Pythonesses,  as  the  poets  have  represented  them  on 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  18 1 

the  Tripod.  They  are  seen  to  become  convulsed,  and  pos 
sessed  with  enthusiasm,  to  acquire  tones  of  the  voice,  and 
to  do  actions  which  appear  to  be  beyond  the  strength  of 
nature. 

It  is  also  asserted,  that  they  suffer  much  on  these  occa 
sions  ;  so  that  there  are  some  who  do  not  readily  engage, 
even  when  they  are  well  paid,  to  give  themselves  up  in  this 
manner  to  the  spirit  that  agitates  them. 

After  coming  out  of  these  violent  sweats,  they  go  and 
throw  themselves  into  cold  water,  even  when  it  is  frozen, 
without  receiving  any  damage.  This  is  a  matter  which 
physic  cannot  account  for ;  however,  it  is  certain  that  there 
is  nothing  supernatural  in  it. 


THE  PONOMOOSI   OR  PROPHETS  AMONG  THF  KAMSCHA- 
DALES,   CORIAKS,  &c. 

We  are  assured  by  Santini,  Abernethy,  and  La  Roche 
that  several  tribes  in  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia  have 
their  prophets  whom  they  call  Ponomoosi.  This  deceitful 
order,  they  tell  us,  predict  their  fate  in  battle  and  their  suc 
cess  in  the  chase;  and  this  knowledge  they  pretend  to 
have  received  from  their  deities.  They  retire  into  the  forest, 
where  they  fast  for  several  days.  During  this  time  they 
beat  a  drum,  cry,  howl,  sing,  and  smoke.  This  prepara 
tion  is  accompanied  with  so  many  furious  actions  that  one 
would  take  them  for  evil  spirits. 

These  fortune-tellers  are  visited  at  night  by  their  rela 
tions,  who  bring  them  intelligence  of  every  thing  that 
happens  in  the  villages  during  their  absence.  By  these 
means  they  are  enabled,  on  their  return  from  their  dens,  to 
impose  upon  the  credulous  ;  because  the  first  part  of  their 
prophecy  consists  of  giving  an  account  of  all  those  who 
married,  died,  and  returned  from  the  chase  since  they 
departed.  They  seldom  fail  in  giving  a  correct  statement 
of  these  and  other  things,  as  their  private  informants  are 
16 


182  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

equally  interested  in  the  success  of  their  prophecy,  irom  an 
expectation  of  being  remunerated. 

"  The  Ponomoosi  of  the  Coriaks,"  says  Abernethy, "  are  an 
inferior  order  of  priests,  who  declare  the  will  of  their  deities, 
and  act  as  their  interpreters ;  but  in  offering  sacrifices,  the 
Ponomoosi  are  never  their  priests.  Their  chief  employment 
is  to  practice  physic,  in  which  they  are  sometimes  success 
ful,  and  to  foretell  the  consequence  of  their  wars  and  the 
chase.  They  practice  physic  on  principles  founded  on  the 
knowledge  of  simples,  on  experience,  and  on  circumstances, 
as  they  do  in  other  countries.  To  this  knowledge  they  al 
ways  join  a  great  deal  of  superstition  and  imposture." 

The  following  account  of  a  conjurer  is  given  us  by  Cap 
tain  Lyon.  This  is  also  another  sort  of  impostors,  no  less 
ridiculous  than  the  former,  and  differing  merely  in 
name : 

"  All  light  being  excluded,  the  sorcerer  began  chanting 
with  great  vehemence.  He  then,  as  far  as  I  could  perceive, 
began  turning  himself  rapidly  round,  and  in  a  loud,  power 
ful  voice  vociferated  for  Tornga  (the  name  of  his  familiar 
spirit)  with  great  impatience,  at  the  same  time  blowing  and 
snorting  like  a  walrus.  His  noise,  impatience,  and  agita 
tion,  increased  every  moment,  and  he  at  length  seated  him 
self  on  the  deck,  varying  his  tones,  and  making  a  rustling 
with  his  clothes.  Suddenly,  the  voice  seemed  smothered, 
and  was  so  managed  as  to  sound  as  if  retreating  beneath 
the  deck,  each  moment  becoming  more  distant,  and  ulti 
mately  giving  the  idea  of  being  many  feet  below  the 
cabin,  when  it  ceased  entirely.  His  wife  now  informed  me, 
that  the  conjurer  had  dived  under  the  ship,  and  that  he 
would  send  up  Tornga.  Accordingly  in  about  a  minute,  a 
distant  blowing  was  heard,  very  slow  in  approaching,  and 
a  voice,  which  differed  from  that  we  had  at  first  heard,  was 
at  times  mingled  with  the  blowing,  until  at  length  both 
sounds  became  distinct,  and  the  old  women  told  me  Tornga 
was  come  to  answer  my  questions.  I  accordingly  asked 
several  questions  of  the  sagacious  spirit,  to  each  of  which  I 
received  an  answer  by  two  loud  slaps  on  the  deck,  which  I 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  183 

was  given  to  understand  were  favourable.  A  very  hollow, 
yet  powerful  voice,  certainly  much  different  from  that  of 
the  conjurer's,  now  chanted  for  some  time ;  a  jumble  of 
hisses,  groans,  shouts,  and  gobbling  like  a  turkey,  succeeded 
in  rapid  order,  when  the  spirit  asked  permission  to  retire. 
The  voice  then  gradually  sank  from  our  hearing  as  at  first 
and  a  very  indistinct  hissing  succeeded,  (in  its  advance  it 
sounded  like  the  tone  produced  by  the  wind  on  the  base 
chord  of  an  Eolian  harp,)  this  was  soon  changed  to  a  rapid 
hiss  like  that  of  a  rocket,  and  the  "conjurer  with  a  yell  an 
nounced  his  return." 

Santini  tells  us  that  prophets  of  the  same  kind  are  held 
in  great  veneration  among  different  tribes  in  Tartary ;  bur 
that  they  do  not  use  so  many  ridiculous  ceremonies  in 
their  predictions. 


ORATORS  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

•  Among  the  Indians  every  tribe  and  every  village  have 
their  orators  as  well  as  priests,  physicians,  and  jugglers. 
In  the  public  Councils  and  in  the  general  assemblies  they 
have  a  right  to  plead  the  cause  of  criminals  and  plaintiffs 
An  European  would  scarcely  believe  their  fluency  of  speech 
and  the  loftiness  of  their  ideas.  They  speak  for  a  long 
time  and  to  the  purpose.  Nothing  can  be  more  pleasing 
than  to  witness  the  interest  which  the  orator  takes  in  de 
fending  those  who  employ  him.  On  some  occasions  the 
women  employ  an  orator  who  speaks  in  their  names,  if  they 
imagine  that  their  liberties  are  encroached  on. 

No  person  would  think  that  the  Indians  in  their  original 
state,  when  they  had  no  possessions,  either  public  or  private, 
nor  any  ambition  to  extend  their  power,  should  have  so 
many  affairs  to  be  thus  adjusted.  It  is  true,  that  the  In 
dians,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  human  family  negociated 
and  carried  on  a  kind  of  trafic  among  themselves,  and 
especially  with  the  Europeans  since  they  became  acquaint- 


184  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

ed  with  each  other.  Under  such  circumstances,  therefore,, 
we  need  not  feel  astonished  that  they  had  also  their  courts 
of  justice.  They  had,  besides,  some  new  treaties  to  conclude, 
to  renew  offers  of  service  and  mutual  civility,  to  court  al 
liances,  and  to  join  invitations  in  making  war.  Any 
business  of  this  description,  we  are  told,  was  conducted  with 
dignity,  great  attention,  and  ability. 


ORATORS  AMONG  SEVERAL  ASIATIC  TRIBES. 

"  I  have  seen  no  tribe  in  Siberia,"  says  Abernethy,  "  who 
had  not  their  councils,  and  courts  of  justice,  with  their 
orators,  and  public  pleaders,  who  are  by  them  called 
Periotsi-Kalosi,  that  is,  men  of  justice.  The  orators  of  the 
Makouri,  a  tribe  of  the  Tongusian  nation,  displayed  no 
small  degree  of  talents  and  eloquence  on  a  certain  occasion 
when  a  young  man,  the  son  of  their  respective  chief,  ap 
peared  before  one  of  their  courts  of  justice,  accused  of 
having  murdered  his  uncle.  His  own  father  presided 
with  as  much  dignity  and  pomp,  as  usually  attend  the 
judges  and  courts  of  more  civilized  nations.  The  venerable 
chief  evinced  a  firm  determination  to  administer  justice, 
even  although  oy  the  law  his  son  should  be  put  to  death, 
if  found  guilty.  The  heads  of  every  family  were  seated 
round  the  chief,  whom  he  addressed  briefly  in  the  following 
manner :  '  My  brother  has  been  murdered ;  my  son  stands 
before  you  now,  and  for  you  it  is  to  find  out  whether  he 
is  guilty  or  not.  The  law  of  your  nation  demands  blood 
for  blood ;  because  such  were  the  laws  of  our  forefathers.' 
An  orator,  tall  and  grave,  fluent  and  rather  eloquent,  stood 
in  the  centre  of  the  circle  and  harangued  for  an  hour  to  de 
fend  the  young  chief;  and  if  I  recollect  well,  he  commenced 
with  these  words :  '  Ponyong  is  gone  to  his  fathers — he  is 
dead,  but  not  murdered ;  for  who  would  take  the  life  of 
him  who  bore  the  wounds  of  fifty  battle!  His  nephew 
stands  before  you  as  if  he  had  spilt  the  blood  of  his  own 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  185 

kindred ;  they  say,  it  is  true,  that  he  is  the  murderer ;  but 
who  are  they  that  accuse  him  ?  Are  they  not  they  whose 
words  should  not  be  believed  ?  Have  they  fought  either 
for  you  or  their  country  ?  They  never  saw  the  face  of  an 
enemy.  Has  he  not  fought  already  1  Has  he  not  led  you 
to  the  field  1  Has  he  not  conducted  you  victorious  from 
the  battle  in  the  absence  of  his  father  f  If  you  destroy  him 
you  destroy  an  innocent  man,  the  pride  of  your  nation,  and 
the  conqueror  of  your  enemies/  This,  however,  will  suffice 
as  a  specimen  of  Siberian  oratory.  His  feelings  appeared 
to  be  very  much  excited  as  his  innumerable  but  natural 
gestures  expressed.  Whether  it  was  through  his  eloquence, 
or  their  regard  for  the  life  of  the  accused,  I  know  not,  but 
the  young  chief  was  not  found  guilty." 

La  Roche  mentions  the  natural  eloquence  of  the  orators 
of  the  Kamschadales.  Santini  says,  that  among  different 
nations  in  Tartary  and  Siberia,  orators  plead  at  their 
?ouncils  and  courts  of  justice. 


THE  COUNCILS  AND  GOVERNMENT  OF  VILLAGES,  AM<"l,cr 
THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

We  are  told  by  travellers  and  missionaries  that  the  In 
dians,  even  when  they  were  first  visited  by  Europeans, 
conducted  themselves  in  their  assemblies  with  such  pru 
dence,  maturity,  and  ability,  as  would  do  honour  to  the 
Areopagus  of  Athens,  and  the  Senate  of  Rome,  in  the  most 
flourishing  times  of  those  republics.  Nothing  is  concluded 
hastily,  and  that  self-interest  which  so  often  corrupts  the 
senator  of  civilized  nations,  never  prevailed  in  the  Indians 
when  they  discussed  affairs  which  related  to  the  public 
good.  It  is  also  true,  that  they  possess,  in  the  highest 
degree,  the  art  of  concealing  their  proceedings.  For  the 
most  part,  the  glory  of  the  nation,  and  the  motives  of  honor, 
are  the  chief  objects  at  which  they  aim.  But  which  cannot 
oe  excused,  is  that  almost  all  the  time,  during  which  they 
16* 


186  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

sit  in  council,  is  consumed  in  concocting  plans  in  order  to 
revenge  them  on  their  enemies ;  this,  however,  can  only  be 
remedied  by  the  Christian  religion,  although  some  Christians 
are  as  vindictive  as  any  savages. 

"As  to  what  relates  to  private  persons,"  says  the  Bishop 
of  Meaux,  "  and  the  particular  concerns  of  the  village,  these 
things  are  soon  decided  among  some  nations ;  but  among 
other  tribes  they  are  referred  to  higher  courts,  and  consider 
able  time  may  elapse  before  they  are  settled.*  A  single 
affair,  however  trifling  it  may  be,  is  sometimes  a  long  time 
under  deliberation.  Every  thing  istreated  with  a  great 
deal  of  circumspection,  and  nothing  is  decided  till  they 
have  heard  the  opinion  of  all  their  elders.  If  they  have 
made  a  present  to  an  elder,  in  order  to  secure  his  vote,  they 
are  sure  of  his  interest,  when  the  present  is  accepted.  It 
was  never  heard  that  an  Indian  failed  in  an  engagement 
of  this  kind ;  but  he  seldom  accepts  it,  and  when  he  does, 
he  never  receives  it  with  both  hands.  The  young  people 
enter  early  into  the  knowledge  of  business,  which  renders 
them  serious  and  mature  in  an  age  in  which  they  are  yet 
children.  This  interests  them  in  the  public  good  from 
their  early  youth,  and  inspires  them  with  an  emulation 
which  is  cherished  with  great  care,  and  from  which  there 
is  reason  to  expect  great  benefits. 

"  The  most  apparent  defect  of  their  government  is  the 
want  of  punishment  for  crimes.  But  this  defect  has  not 
the  same  effect  among  them  which  it  would  inevitably  have 
with  European  nations.  The  great  spring  of  our  passions, 
and  the  principal  source  of  the  disorders  which  most  disturb 
civil  society,  which  is  self-interest,  have  scarcely  any  power 
over  people  who  never  think  of  laying  up  riches,  and  who 
take  little  thought  for  the  morrow.  They  may  also  be  re- 
proa'ched  for  their  manner  of  bringing  up  their  children. 
They  know  not  what  it  is  to  chastise  them.  Whilst  they 
are  little  they  say  they  have  no  reason ;  neither  are  they  of 
opini6n  that  punishment  promotes  understanding.  When 
they  are  old  enough  to  reason,  they  say  that  they  ar*»  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  187 

masters  of  their  own  actions,  and  that  they  are  accountable 
to  no  person  for  them. 

"  In  a  word,  the  American  Indians  are  entirely  convinced 
that  mah  is  born  free ;  that  no  power  on  earth  has  any  right 
to  make  any  attempts  against  his  liberty  ;  and  that  nothing 
can  make  him  amends  for  its  loss.  We  have  even  had 
much  pains  to  undeceive  those  converted  to  Christianity  on 
this  head,  and  to  make  them'  understand,  that  in  conse 
quence  of  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  which  is  the  effect 
of  sin,  an  unrestrained  liberty  of  doing  evil  differs  little 
from  the  necessity  of  doing  it,  considering  the  strength  of 
the  inclinations,  which  carries  us  to  it ;  and  that  the  law 
which  restrains  us,  brings  us  nearer  to  our  first  liberty,  in 
seeming  to  deprive  us  of  it.  Happy  for  them  experience 
does  not  make  them  feel  in  many  material  articles  all  the 
force  of  this  bias,  which  it  produces  in  other  countries. 
As  their  knowledge  is  more  confined  than  ours,  so  are  their 
desires  still  more  so.  Being  used  only  to  the  simple  ne 
cessaries  of  life,  which  Providence  has  sufficiently  provided 
for  them,  they  have  scarcely  any  idea  of  superfluity." 


COUNCILS  AND  GOVERNMENT  AMONG  ASIATIC  NATIONS. 

"  Tutte  le  nazioni,"  says  Santini,  "  che  si  trovano  fra  i 
Tongusi,  Coriaki,  Kamschadali,  e  molte  altre  in  quella 
parte  d'  Asia  settentrionale  hanno  dei  conciglii,  che  sono 
composti  del  principe  e  dei  maggiornati.  Tutti  gli  affari 
che  appartengono  alia  guerra,  alia  pace,  alle  regole  della 
caccia,  ed  altre  cose  domestice,  sono  qui  esaminate. 

"  Quanto  al  loro  governo,  ogni  cosa  e  regolata  in  questi 
conciglii.  II  loro  principe  ancora  regola  molte  querele  da 
se  stesso,  senza  andar  al  conciglio.  L'omicidio  e  punko, 
pero,  dagli  amici  di  quello  chi  era  stato  ammazzato,  e  al 
loro  piacere.  Molti  mi  hanno  detto  che,  benche  1'omicido 
secondo  le  loro  leggi,  e  proibito  sotto  pena  della  vita,'! 


*  * 


188  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

assassino  e  rarissime  volte  castigate  colla  morte ;  perche 
credono  che  1'omicido  era  ordinato  dallo  spirito  cattivo." 

Here  we  see,  that,  according  to  Santini,  all  the  different 
tribes  among  the  Tongusi,  Coriaks,  Kamschadales  and 
many  others  inhabiting  the  north-east  parts  of  Asia,  have 
councils  composed  of  the  chief  and  the  elders.  All  the 
affairs  which  appertain  to  war,  peace,  the  chase,  and  their 
domestic  laws  are  here  discussed  and  decided. 

As  to  their  government,  I  may  say  that  these  councils 
constitute  their  legislative  assemblies ;  for  in  them  their 
laws  civil,  and  military,  are  framed  and  administered.  The 
chief  also  decides  many  private  quarrels  on  his  own  author 
ity  without  referring  to  council.  The  punishment  of  a  mur 
derer  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  relations  of  the  murdered.  We 
are  often  told,  that  although  murder,  according  to  law 
should  be  punished  with  death,  the  murderer  is  seldom  put 
to  death,  because  they  believe  that  it  was  the  desire  of 
their  evil  Genii,  that  such  a  thing  should  come  to  pass. 

This  has  been  confirmed  by  Abernethy  and  La  Roche. 
Abernethy,  however,  observes  that  the  Kamschadales  and 
some  Tartar  tribes  have  war  chiefs  who  preside  at  their  coun 
cils  of  war,  and  lead  their  warriors  to  battle  ;  and  others  who 
govern  their  villages,  never  leaving  home.  La  Roche 
says,  that  the  chief  who  remains  at  home,  is  the  hereditary 
one ;  and  that  the  war  chief  is  elected  by  the  warriors ; 
however,  he  observed,  that  if  the  hereditary  one  was  of  a 
military  and  heroic  disposition,  he  would  insist  upon  going 
to  battle.  We  shall  now  proceed  to  give  a  promiscuous  ac 
count  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Indians,  according 
to  the  journals  of  the  Bishop  of  Meaux,  Rosetti,  Claude 
Allouez,  Paul  du  Ru,  M.  de  St.  Cosme,  and  others,  who 
were  the  first  missionaries  that  ever  preached  Christianity 
to  the  red  men  of  North  America  when  the  Canadas  were 
in  the  possession  of  the  French.  After  that,  we  shall  offer 
a  general  sketch  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  different 
nations  in  north-east  Asia,  which  will  also  in  ho  small  de 
gree  tend,  by  their  coincidence,  to  prove  the  identity  of  the 
people — that  is  to  say — that  the  North  American  Indians 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  189 

and  these  Asiatic  tribes  were  once  united.  The  foregoing 
comparative  views  of  the  different  customs  of  the  American 
and  Asiatic  tribes  will,  no  doubt,  satisfy  the  reader  ;  how 
ever,  as  we  wish  not  only  to  prove  an  affinity  between  the 
inhabitants  of  both  continents,  but  also  to  deliver  down  to 
posterity  their  national  peculiarities  before  they  disappear, 
it  is  but  right,  we  think,  to  impart  as  much  information  as 
we  possibly  can. 


VARIOUS  CUSTOMS  AMONG  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN 
INDIANS. 

SHAPES  WHICH  THEY  GIVE  TO  THEIR  CHILDREN. 

There  are,  on  the  continent  of  America,  some  nations 
which  they  call  Flat  Heads.  These  have  their  foreheads 
very  flat,  and  the  top  of  their  heads  lengthened.  This 
shape  is  not  the  work  of  nature ;  it  is  the  mothers  who 
give  it  to  their  children  as  soon  as  they  are  born.  For  this 
end,  they  apply  to  their  foreheads  and  the  back  part  of 
their  heads,  two  masses  of  clay,  or  some  other  heavy  sub 
stance,  which  they  bind  by  little  till  the  skull  has  taken  the 
shape  they  desire  to  give  it.  It  appears  that  this  opera 
tion  is  very  painful  to  the  children,  whose  nostrils  emit 
some  whitish  matter ;  but  neither  this  circumstance  nor  the 
cries  of  these  little  innocents,  alarm  their  mothers,  as  they 
are  desirous  of  procuring  them  a  handsome  appearance, 
without  which  they  cannot  conceive  how  others  can  be 
satisfied.  It  is  quite  the  reverse  with  certain  Algonquins, 
named  Round  Heads  or  Bowl  Heads  ;  for  they  make  beauty 
consist  in  having  their  heads  perfectly  round :  and  mothers 
take  care  also  very  early  to  give  them  this  shape. 


190  ORIGIN    OF    THE 


WHAT  STRENGTHENS  AND   SHAPES  THE   INDIANS  SO 
WELL. 

The  children  of  the  Indians  when  they  leave  the  cradle, 
are  not  confined  in  any  manner ;  and  as  soon  as  they  can 
crawl  upon  their  hands  and  feet,  they  let  them  go  where 
they  will,  quite  naked,  into  the  water,  into  the  woods,  and 
into  the  snow,  which  makes  their  bodies  strong,  their  limbs 
very  supple,*  and  hardens  them  against  the  injuries  of  the 
air ;  but  it  makes  them  also  subject  to  distempers  of  the  sto 
mach  and  lungs  which  destroy  them  early.  In  Summer, 
they  ran  as  soon  as  they  are  up  to  the  river,  or  into  the  lakes, 
and  continue  there  a  part  of  the  day,  playing  like  fish 
when  it  is  fine  weather  at  the  surface  of  the  water.  It  is 
certain  that  nothing  is  better  than  this  exercise  to  make 
their  joints  free,  and  to  render  them  nimble. 


THEIR  FIRST  EXERCISES. 

They  put  a  bow  and  arrow  into  their  hands  betimes , 
and  in  order  to  excite  in  them  that  emulation,  which  is 
the  best  teacher  of  the  arts,  there  is  no  need  to  set  their 
breakfasts  on  the  top  of  a  tree,  as  they  did  with  the  young 
Lacedemonians.  They  are  all  born  with  that  passion  for 
glory  that  has  no  need  of  a  spur ;  and  indeed  they  shoot 
with  a  surprising  exactness,  and  with  a  little  practice,  they 
acquire  the  same  dexterity  in  the  use  of  fire  arms.  They 
make  them  also  wTrestle,  and  they  pursue  this  exercise  so 
eagerly,  that  they  would  often  kill  one  another,  if  they  I* 

were  not  parted.  Those  who  are  defeated,  are  so  enraged 
at  it,  that  they  do  not  take  the  least  repose  till  they  have 
their  revenge. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  191 


IN  WHAT  CONSISTS  THEIR  EDUCATION. 

In  general  their  fathers  and  mothers  neglect  nothing  to 
inspire  their  children  with  certain  principles  of  honour, 
which  they  preserve  all  their  lives,  but  which  they  often 
abuse  ;  and  in  this  their  whole  education  consists.  When 
they  give  their  instructions  on  this  head,  it  is  always  in  an 
indirect  way ;  the  most  common  is  to  relate  to  them  the 
brave  actions  of  their  ancestors,  or  of  their  countrymen. 
These  young  people  are  fired  at  these  stories,  and  are  never 
easy  till  they  find  an  opportunity  of  imitating  the  examples 
they  have  made  them  admire.  Sometimes,  to  correct  them 
for  their  faults,  they  use  prayers  and  tears,  but  never 
menances.  They  would  make  no  impression  on  spirits, 
prepossessed  with  an  opinion  that  no  person  has  a  right  to 
use  compulsion. 


WORKS  OF  THE  WOMEN. 

The  little  works  of  the  women,  and  which  are  their  com 
mon  employment  in  the  cabins,  are  to  make  thread  of  the 
inner  membranes  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  which  they  call  the 
white  wood.  They  work  it  pretty  nearly  as  Europeans  do 
the  hemp.  The  women  also  dye  everything.  They  make 
several  works  with  bark,  on  which  they  work  small  figures 
with  porcupine's  quills.  They  make  little  cups  or  other 
utensils  of  wood ;  they  embroider  roebuck  skins,  and  they 
knit  girdles  and  garters  with  the  hair  or  wool  of  the 
buffalo. 


WORKS  OF  THE  MEN. 

As  for  the  men,  they  glory  in  their  idleness ;  and,  in 
reality,  they  pass  above  half  of  their  lives  in  doing  nothing, 
in  the  persuasion  that  daily  labour  disgraces  a  man,  which, 
they  imagine,  should  be  the  duty  of  the  women.  Man,  they 


192  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

say,  is  only  made  for  war,  hunting,  and  fishing.  Neverthc  • 
less  it  belongs  to  them  to  make  all  things  necessary  foi 
these  three  exercises ;  therefore,  making  arms,  nets,  and  all 
the  equipage  of  the  hunters  and  fishers,  chiefly  belong  to 
them,  as  well  as  the  canoes  and  their  rigging,  the  raquets 
or  snow  shoes,  and  the  binding  and  repairing  of  cabins ; 
but  they  often  oblige  the  women  to  assist  them  in  all  these 
things. 


THEIR  HATCHETS. 

These  people,  before  they  had  been  furnished  with 
hatchets  and  other  tools  by  Europeans,  were  greatly  embar 
rassed  in  cutting  down  their  trees  and  fitting  them  for  use. 
They  burned  them  at  the  foot,  and  to  split  and  cut  them  they 
used  hatchets  made  of  flints,  which  did  not  break,  but  took 
up  a  great  deal  of  time  to  sharpen.  To  fix  them  in  the 
handle,  they  cut  off  the  head  of  a  young  tree,  and,  as  if 
they  would  have  grafted  it,  they  made  a  notch  in  it,  into 
which  they  thrust  the  head  of  the  hatchet.  After  some 
time  the  tree,  by  growing  together,  kept  the  hatchet  so 
fixed  that  it  could  not  come  out ;  then  they  cut  the  tree  to 
such  a  length  as  they  would  have  the  handle. 


THE  FORM  OF  THEIR  VILLAGES. 

Their  villages  have  generally  no  regular  form.  The 
greatest  part  of  the  French  missionaries  represent  them  as 
being  of  a  round  form  and  perhaps  their  authors  had  not 
seen  any  but  of  this  sort.  These  villages  consisted  of  a 
heap  of  cabins  without  order ;  some  like  cart  houses,  others 
like  tunnels,  built  of  bark,  supported  by  posts,  sometimes 
plastered  on  the  outside  with  mud  in  a  coarse  manner ;  in 
a  word,  built  with  less  art,  neatness,  and  solidity  than  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  195 

cabins,  of  the  beaver.  These  cabins  are  about  fifteen  and 
twenty  feet  in  breadth,  and  sometimes  a  hundred  in  length ; 
then  they  contain  several  fires ;  for  a  fire  never  takes  up 
more  than  twelve  feet.  When  the  floor  is  not  sufficient  for 
all  the  inhabitants  to  sleep  on,  the  young  people  lay  on  a 
wide  bench,  about  five  or  six  feet  high,  that  runs  the  whole 
length  of  the  cabin.  The  furniture  and  provisions  are  over 
this,  placed  on  pieces  of  wood  put  across  under  the  roof. 
For  the  most  part  there  is  before  the  door  a  sort  of  porch, 
where  the  young  people  sleep  in  the  summer,  and  which 
serves  for  a  wood  house  in  the  winter.  The  doors  are 
nothing  but  bark,  fixed  like  the  umbrella  of  a  Window,  and 
they  never  shut  close.  These  cabins  have  neither  windows 
nor  chimneys ;  but  they  leave  an  opening  in  the  midle  ol 
the  roof,  by  which  part  the  smoke  goes  out ;  and  they  are 
obliged  to  cover  it,  when  it  rains  or  snows,  and  then  they 
must  extinguish  the  fire  less  they  be  blinded  with  smoke. 


THEIR  NOTION  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MAN 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the  American  Indians 
have  an  idea  of  a  First  Being,  but,  at  the  same  time,  nothing 
is  more  obscure.  They  agree,  in  general,  in  making  him 
the  First  Spirit,  the  Lord  and  Creator  of  the  world,  but 
when  they  are  pressed  a  little  on  this  article,  to  explain 
what  they  mean  by  the  First  Spirit,  we  find  nothing  but 
odd  fancies,  fables  so  ill  conceived,  systems  so  little  digested, 
and  so  little  uniformity,  that  one  can  say  nothing  regular  on 
this  subject.  It  has  been  said  that  the  Sious  came  much 
nearer  than  the  rest  to  what  we  think  of  this  first  principle. 
Almost  all  the  Algonquin  nations  have  given  the  name  of 
the  Great  Hare  to  the  First  Spirit ;  some  call  him  Michab&u9 
others  Jltahocan.  The  Jlreskoui  of  the  Hurons,  and  the 
Jlgrescoue  of  the  Iroquois,  is,  in  the  opinion  of  these  people, 
the  Supreme  Being  and  the  God  of  War. 


196  ORIGIN   OF    THE 


VESTALS  AMONG  THE  INDIANS. 

In  some  memoirs  we  are  told,  that  many  nations  of  this 
continent  had  formerly  young  maids,  who  never  had  any 
conversation  with  man,  and  consequently  never  married ; 
but  we  shall  neither  warrant  nor  contradict  this  assertion, 
because  our  authors  appear  somewhat  doubtful  on  this 
point.  It  is  true,  however,  that  the  Indians  show  us  some 
plants  which,  they  say,  are  very  salutary,  but  which  have 
no  virtue  unless  they  are  administered  by  virgin  hands.  It 
has  also  been  related  with  greater  confidence,  that  among 
the  Hur&ns  and  Iroquois  there  were  hermits,  who  observed 
continence. 


THEIR  VOWS. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  vows  of  the  Indians  were 
pure  acts  of  religion,  and  that  they  performed  them  on  the 
same  occasions  as  Christians  do.  For  instance,  when  they 
were  out  of  provisions,  as  it  often  happened  in  their  journeys 
and  huntings,  they  promised  their  Genii,  to  give,  in  honour 
of  them,  a  portion  of  the  first  beast  they  should  kill  to  one 
of  their  chiefs,  and  not  to  eat  till  they  should  have  perform 
ed  their  promise.  If  they  find  this  impossible,  because 
the  chief  is  at  a  great  distance,  they  burn  what  was  designed 
for  him,  and  make  a  sort  of  sacrifice. 


THEIR  FASTS. 


Some  have  fancied  that  their  fasts  were  only  intended  to 
accustom  them  to  bear  hunger,  and  it  may  partly  be  designed 
for  this  end ;  but  all  the  circumstances  which  accompany 
them,  leave  no  room  to  doubt  that  religion  is  the  principal 
motive. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  137 


THEIR  THOUGHTS  OF  THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL. 

When  we  ask  the  Indians  what  they  think  of  their  souls, 
they  tell  us  that  they  are,  as  it  were,  the  shadows  and  the 
animated  images  of  the  body ;  and  it  is  in  consequence  of 
this  principle  that  they  believe  everything  is  animated  in 
the  universe.  Therefore  it  is  entirely  by  tradition  that 
they  hold  that  our  souls  do  not  die.  In  the  different  ex 
pressions  they  use  to  explain  themselves  on  this  subject, 
they  often  confound  the  soul  with  its  faculties,  and  the  fac 
ulties  with  their  operations,  though  they  very  well  know 
how  to  make  the  distinction  when  they  choose  to  speak 
correctly. 


OF  THE  COUNTRY  OF  SOULS. 

The  Indians  believe  that  the  souls,  when  they  die,  are  to 
part  for  ever  from  their  bodies,  and  that  they  go  to  a  region 
which  is  appointed  to  be  their  everlasting  abode.  This 
country,  say  the  Indians,  is  far  to  the  west,  and  the  souls 
are  several  months  travelling  thither.  They  have  also  great 
difficulties  to  surmount,  and  the}  run  through  great  dangers 
before  they  go  there.  They  speak  especially  of  a  river 
they  have  to  pass  where  many  have  been  wrecked ;  of  a 
dog,  from  which  it  is  not  easy  to  defend  one's  self;  of  a 
place  of  torments,  where  they  expiate  their  faults ;  of 
another  where  the  souls  of  the  prisoners  of  war  who  had 
been  burned,  are  tormented. 

This  notion  is  the  reason  why,  after  the  death  of  these 
wretches,  for  fear  their  souls  should  stay  about  the  cabins  to 
revenge  their  sufferings,  they  very  carefully  visit  all  places, 
striking  continually  with  a  stick,  and  sending  forth  hideous 
cries,  to  drive  away  these  souls. 

Without  entering  into  details  of  other  customs  peculiar 
to  the  Asiatic  tribes,  to  whom  we  have  already  so  often  al- 
17* 


198  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

hided,  we  need  only  say,  that  the  different  practices  which 
we  have  latterly  described  among  the  North  American 
Indians,  are  common  in  Asia,  especially  among  the  Coriaks, 
Kamschadales,  and  others.  Abernethy  tells  us  that  among 
the  Coriaks,  the  mothers  give,  as  they  imagine,  a  decorous 
form  to  their  children,  when  infants,  by  applying  three 
boards,  one  on  the  top  to  give  them  a  flat  head,  and  one 
on  each  side  to  give  them  a  sharp  forehead. 

Whenever  their  children  arrive  at  twelve  years  of  age, 
they  are  to  accompany  the  hunters  into  the  forest,  in  order 
to  imbibe  while  young  a  desire  of  excelling  in  that  exercise. 
He  who  excels  among  these  youths,  receives  presents  from 
the  village  on  their  return  home.  Their  education  consists 
solely  in  hearing  the  brave  actions  of  their  forefathers. 

The  women  are  generally  employed  in  making  dresses, 
both  for  themselves  and  their  family ;  they  procure  fuel  and 
cultivate  the. soil;  in  short,  they  provide  all  the  furniture 
which  is  required  in  their  cabins.  The  men  are  generally  en 
gaged  in  war,  hunting  or  fishing.  They  deem  labor  beneath 
the  dignity  of  man.  Their  hatchets,  which  they  call 
Marooski,  were  anciently  much  the  same  as  those  which 
were  originally  used  among  the  North  American  Indians : 
they  were  made  of  hard  flint :  sometimes  they  were  obser 
ved  to  fell  huge  trees  with  them.  Th§  Tongusi  observe 
fasts ;  they  also  perform  vows  as  well  as  the  North  Ameri 
can  Indians.  They  believe  that  the  soul  shajl  never  die,  and 
that  it  has  to  perform  a  long  journey  before  it  reaches  its 
destination. 

These,  and  many  other  customs  among  the  Asiatics,  co 
incide  in  a  striking  manner  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  west 
ern  continent. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  199 

AN  INDIAN    CHIEF'S   ACCOUNT    OF    THE    ORIGIN  OF  THE 
NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

The  following  journey  of  an  Indian  chief  across  the  con 
tinent  of  North  America  during  the  middle  of  last  century, 
will  in  some  measure  tend  to  prove  the  Asiatic  origin  of  the 
North  American  Indians.  It  has  been  reduced  to  writing  by 
M.  Le  Page  du  Pratz,  and  communicated  to  the  Literary 
Society  of  Quebec  by  Andrew  Stuart,  Esq. 

"  It  has  been  often  conjectured,  that  America  was 
originally  peopled  from  Siberia  or  Tartary,  and  that  these 
Asiatic  tribes  entered  this  continent  by  the  way  of  Kam- 
schaika.  There  are  many  reasons  for  believing  that  the 
new  continent  as  well  as  the  old  has  been  peopled  by  differ 
ent  races  at  different  times,  and  that  the  last  great  change 
which  took  place,  was  produced  by  a  great  Siberian 
or  Tartar  invasion,  similar  to  that  which  under  Gengiskhan 
devastated  the  Chinese  empire,  and  to  that  which  over 
whelmed  the  Roman  empire.  The  exterminating  character 
of  these  Asiatic  tribes  is  well  known,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  whole  race  which  built  the  forts,  the  vestiges  of 
which  are  found  between  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  was  utterly  destroyed  by  these  Siberian  invaders, 
whose  descendants  we  now  see  scattered  over  the  North 
American  continent.  I  do  not  mean  here  to  enter  on  the 
grounds  and  reasons  on  which  this  opinion  rests,  but  beg 
leave  to  lay  before  the  public,  facts  relating  to  this  subject, 
that  seemed  to  me  to  be  of  interest  to  be  found  in  a  work 
not  so  generally  known  as  it  ought  to  be  ;  this  is  the  history 
of  Louisiana  by  M.  Le  Page  du  Pratz,  who  gives  the  fol 
lowing  account  of  the  peopling  of  America  :  '  When  the 
Natchez  retired  to  this  part  of  America,  where  I  saw  they 
were  "found  to  be  several  nations,  or  rather  the  remains  of 
several  nations ;  some  on  the  east,  and  some  on  the  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  These  are  the  people  who  are  distinguish 
ed  among  the  natives  by  the  name  of  the  Red  Men  ;  and 
their  origin  is  so  much  the  more  obscure,  as  they  have  no 
tradition,  nor  arts  and  sciences  like  the  Mexicans,  from 


200  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

whence  we  might  draw  some  satisfactory  inferences.  All 
that  I  could  learn  from  them  was,  that  they  came  from  the 
north  and  the  sun  setting.  This  account  they  uniformly 
adhered  to  whenever  they  gave  an  account  of  their  origin. 
This  lame  tradition  did  not  at  all  satisfy  the  desire  I  had  of 
being  informed  on  this  subject.  I  made  great  inquiries  to 
'mow  if  there  was  any  old  wise  man  among  the  neighbour 
ing  nations,  who  could  give  me  further  intelligence  about 
the  origin  of  the  natives.  I  was  happy  enough  to  discover 
one,  named  Moneacht-ape  among  the  Yazons,  a  nation 
about  forty  leagues  north  of  the  Natchez.  This  man  was 
remarkable  for  his  understanding  and  elevation  of  senti 
ments  ;  and  I  may  justly  compare  him  to  those  first  Greeks 
who  travelled  chiefly  into  the  East  to  examine  the  manners 
and  customs  of  different  nations,  and  to  communicate  to 
their  fellow  citizens  on  their  return,  the  knowledge  which 
they  had  acquired.  Moneacht-ape,  indeed,  never  executed 
so  noble  a  plan;  but  he  had,  however,  conceived  it.  He 
was  by  the  French  called  the  Interpreter,  because  he 
understood  several  of  the  North  American  languages ;  but 
the  other  name  which  I  mentioned  was  given  him  by  his 
own  nation,  and  signifies  the  killer  of  pain  and  fatigues. 
This  name  was  indeed  most  justly  applicable  to  him ;  for 
to  satisfy  his  curiosity  he  made  light  of  the  most  dangerous 
and  painful  journies  in  which  he  had  spent  several  years  of 
his  life.  He  stayed  two  or  three  days  with  me,  and  on  my 
desiring  him  to  give  me  an  account  of  his  travels,  he  very 
readily  complied  with  my  request  and  spoke  to  the  fol 
lowing  effect : 

" <  I  had  lost  my  wife  and  all  the  children  I  had  by  her. 
When  I  undertook  my  journey  towards  the  sun  rising,  I  set 
out  from  my  village  contrary  to  the  inclination  of  all  my 
relations.  I  went  first  to  the  Chicasaws,  our  friends* and 
neighbours.  I  continued  several  days  among  them,  to  in 
form  myself  whether  they  knew  whence  we  all  came,  or  at 
least  whence  they  came  themselves ;  they  who  were  our 
elders,  since  from  them  came  the  language  of  the  country. 
As  they  could  not  inform  me,  I  proceeded  on  my  journey. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  201 

I  reached  the  country  of  the  Chasunous,  and  afterwards 
went  up  the  Wabash  or  Ohio,  almost  to  its  source,  which 
is  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquoisor  five  nations.  I  left  them 
however,  towards  the  north,  and  during  the  winter,  which 
is  in  that  country  very  severe  and  long,  I  lived  in  a  village 
of  the  Abenaquis,  where  I  contracted  an  acquaintance  with 
a  man  somewhat  older  than  myself,  who  promised  tc 
conduct  me  the  following  spring  to  the  great  water.  Ac 
cordingly  when  the  snows  wer^e  melted  and  the  weather 
was  settled,  we  proceeded  eastward,  and  after  several  days' 
journey,  I  at  length  saw  the  great  water,  which  filled  me 
with  such  joy  and  admiration,  that  I  could  not  speak 
Night  drawing  on,  we  took  up  our  lodging  on  a  high  baisk 
above  the  high  water,  which  was  sorely  vexed  by  the  wind, 
and  made  so  great  a  noise  that  I  could. not  sleep.  Next 
day  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  water  filled  me  with 
great  apprehension  ;  but  my  companion  quieted  my  fears  by 
assuring  me  that  the  water  observed  certain  bounds  both  in 
advancing  and  retiring.  Having  satisfied  our  curiosity  in 
viewing  the  great  water,  we  turned  to  the  village  of  the 
Jlbenaquis,  where  I  continued  the  following  winter ;  and 
after  the  snows  were  melted,  my  companion  and  I  went  and 
viewed  the  great  fall  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence  at  Niagara, 
which  was  distant  from  the  village  several  day's  journey. 
The  view  of  this  great  fall  at  first  made  my  hair  stand  on 
end,  and  my  heart  almost  leap  out  of  its  place ;  but  after 
wards  before  I  left,  I  had  the  courage  to  walk  under  it. 
Next  day  we  took  the  shortest  road  to  Ohio,  and  my  com 
panion  and  I  cutting  down  a  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
we  formed  it  into  a  Pettiaugre,  which  served  to  conduct  me 
down  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  after  which,  with  much 
difficulty,  I  went  up  our  small  river ;  and  at  length  arrived 
safe  among  my  relations,  who  were  rejoiced  to  see  me  in 
good  health. 

"  4  This  journey  instead  of  satisfying  only  served  to  excite 
my  curiosity.  Our  old  men  for  several  years,  had  told  me 
that  the  ancient  speech  informed  them  that  the  red  men  of 
the  north  came  originally  much  higher  and  much  farther 


202  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

than  the  source  of  the  river  Missouri;  and  as  I  had  longea 
to  see,  with  my  own  eyes,  the  land  whence  our  first  fathers 
came,  I  took  my  precautions  for  my  journey  westwards. 
Having  provided  a  small  quantity  of  corn,  I  proceeded  up 
along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  Missouri,  till  I  came  to 
the  Ohio.  I  went  up  along  the  bank  of  this  last  river 
about  the  fourth  part  of  a  day's  journey,  that  I  might  be 
able  to  cross  it  without  being  carried  into  the  Mississippi. 
There  I  formed  a  Caugeux,  or  raft  of  canes,  by  the  assist 
ance  of  which  I  passed  over  the  river ;  and  next  day  meet 
ing  with  a  herd  of  buffaloes  in  the  meadows,  I  killed  a  fat 
one,  and  took  from  it  the  fillets,  the  bunch,  and  the  tongue. 
Soon  after  I  arrived  among  the  Tamaroas,  a  \illage  of  the 
nation  of  Illinois,  where  I  rested  several  days  and  then  pro 
ceeded  northwards  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  which 
after  it  enters  the  great  river  runs  for  a  considerable  time 
without  intermixing  its  muddy  waters  with  the  clear  stream 
of  the  other.  Having  crossed  the  Mississippi,  I  went  up 
the  Missouri  along  its  nothern  bank,  and  after  several  days' 
journey  I  arrived  at  the  nation  of  the  Missouri,  where  I 
staid  a  long  time  to  learn  the  language  that  is  spoken  be 
yond  them.  In  going  along  the  Missouri  I  passed  through 
meadows  a  whole  day's  journey  in  length  which  were 
quite  covered  with  buffaloes. 

"  c  When  the  cold  was  past,  and  the  snows  were  melting 
I  continued  my  journey  up  along  the  Missouri,  till  I  came 
to  the  nation  of  the  west,  or  the  Cawras.  Afterwards,  in 
consequence  of  directions  from  them,  1  proceeded  in  the 
same  course,  near  thirty  days,  and  at  -length  I  met  with 
some  of  the  nation  of  Otters,  who  were  hunting  in  that 
neighbourhood,  and  were  surprised  to  see  me  alone.  I  con 
tinued  with  the  hunters  two  or  three  days,  and  then  accom 
panied  one  of  them  and  his  wife,  who  was  near  her  time  of 
lying  in,  to  their  village,  which  lay  far  off  betwixt  the 
north  and  west.  We  continued  our  journey  along  the 
Missouri  for  nine  days,  and  then  we  marched  directly  north 
for  five  days,  and  met  more  of  the  Otters,  who  received  me 
with  as  much  kindness  as  if  I  had  been  of  their  own  nation 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  203 

A  few  days  after,  I  joined  them,  when  we  came  to  the  fine 
river  which  runs  westward  in  a  direction  contrary  to  that  ot 
the  Missouri,  we  proceeded  down  this  river  a  whole  day 
and  arrived  at  a  village,  a  party  of  the  Otters,  who  were  go 
ing  to  carry  a  calumet  of  peace  to  a  nation  beyond  them,  and 
we  embarked  in  a  pettiaugre  and  went  down  the  river  for 
eighteen  days,  landing  now  and  then  to  supply  ourselves 
with  provisions.  When  I  arrived  at  the  nation  who  were 
at  peace  with  the  Otters,  I  stayed  with  them  till  the  cold 
was  past,  that  I  might  learn  their  language,  which  was 
common  to  most  of  the  nations  that  lived  beyond  them. 
The  cold  was  hardly  gone  when  I  embarked  on  the  fine 
river,  and  in  my  course  I  met  with  several  nations  with 
whom  1  generally  stayed  but  one  night,  till  I  arrived  at 
the  nation  which  is  but  one  day's  journey  from  the  great 
water  in  the  west.  This  nation  lives  in  the  wood  about 
the  distance  of  a  league  from  the  river,  from  the  apprehen 
sion  of  bearded  men,  who  come  on  their  coasts  in  floating 
villages  and  carry  off  their  children  and  make  slaves  of 
them.  These  men  are  described  to  be  white,  with  long 
white  beards  that  came  down  to  their  breasts.  They  were 
thick  and  short,  and  had  large  heads  covered  with  cloth ; 
they  were  always  dressed,  even  in  the  greatest  heats ;  their 
clothes  fell  down  to  the  middle  of  their  legs,  which  with 
their  feet  were  covered  with  red  or  yellow  stuff.  Their 
arms  made  a  great  fire  and  a  great  noise ;  and  when  they 
saw  themselves  outnumbered  by  red  men,  they  retired  on 
board  their  large  pettiaugres  ;  and  their  number  sometimes 
amounted  to  thirty,  but  never  more. 

" '  Those  strangers  came  from  the  sun-setting,  in  search 
of  a  yellow;  stinking  wood,  which  dyes  a  fine  yellow  colour; 
but  the  people  of  this  nation,  that  they  might  not  be  tempt 
ed  to  visit  them,  destroyed  all  those  kinds  of  trees.  Two 
other  nations  in  their  neighbourhood,  however,  having  no 
other  wood,  could  not  destroy  them,  and  were  still  visited 
by  these  strangers;  and  -being  greatly  incommoded  by 
them,  had  invited  their  allies  to  assist  them  in  making  an 
attack  upon  them  the  next  time  they  would  return.  The 


204  ORIGIN   OF    THE 

following  summer  I  accordingly  joined  in  this  expedition, 
and  after  travelling  five  long  days'  journey,  we  came  to  the 
place  where  the  bearded  men  usually  landed ;  there  we 
waited  seventeen  days  for  their  arrival.  The  red  men,  by 
my  advice,  placed  themselves  in  ambuscade  to  surprise  the 
strangers,  and  accordingly,  when  they  landed,  we  were  so 
successful  as  to  kill  eleven  of  them  ;  the  rest  immediately 
escaped  on  board  two  large  pettiaugres  and  fled  westward 
on  the  great  water. 

" '  Upon  examining  those  whom  he  had  killed,  we  found 
them  much  smaller  than  ourselves,  and  rather  fairer ;  they 
had  a  large  head,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  crown  the  hair 
was  very  long  ;  their  heads  were  wrapt  in  great  many  folds 
of  stuff,  and  their  clothes  seemed  to  be  made  neither  of 
wool  or  silk,  they  were  very  soft,  and  of  different  colours ; 
two  only  of  those  who  were  killed  had  fire-arms,  powder, 
and  ball.  I  tried  their  pieces  and  found  that  they  were 
much  heavier  than  ours,  and  did  not  kill  at  so  great  a  dis 
tance.  After  the  expedition,  I  thought  of  nothing  but 
proceeding  on  my  journey,  and  with  that  design  I  let  the 
red  men  return  home,  and  joined  myself  to  those  who  lived 
more  westward  on  the  coast,  with  whom  I  travelled  along 
the  coast  of  the  great  river,  which  bends  directly  be 
twixt  the  north  and  the  sun-setting.  When  I  arrived 
at  the  village  of  my  fellow-travellers,  where  I  found 
the  days  very  long  and  the  nights  very  short,  I  was  advised 
by  the  old  men  to  give  up  every  thought  of  continuing  my 
journey.  They  told  me  that  the  land  extended  a  long  way 
between  the  north  and  the  sun-setting ;  after  which  it  ran 
directly  west  and  at  length  was  cut  by  the  great  water 
from  north  to  south.  One  of  them  added  that,  when  he  was 
young,  he1  knew  a  very  old  man  who  had  seen  that  distant 
land  before  it  was  cut  away  by  the  great  water,  and  that 
when  the  great  water  was  low,  many  rocks  still  appeared 
in  those  parts.  Finding  it  therefore  impracticable  to  pro 
ceed  much  farther  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  climate 
and  the  want  of  game,  I  returned  by  the  same  route  by 
which  I  had  set  out ;  and  reducing  my  whole  travels  west 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  205 

ward  to  two  days'  journey,  I  compute  that  they  would  not 
have  employed  me  thirty-six  moons ;  but  on  account  of  my 
frequent  delays  it  was  five  years  before  I  returned  to  my 
relations  among  the  Yazons.' 

"The  remarkable  difference  I  observed  between  the 
Natchez,  including  in  that  name  the  nations  whom  they  as 
brethren,  and  the  other  people  of  Lousiana,  made  me  ex 
tremely  desirous  of  knowing  whence  both  of  them  originally 
came.  We  had  not  then,  that  fall,  the  information  which 
we  have  since  received  from  the  travels  and  discoveries  of 
M.  De  Lisle  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Russian  empire.  I 
therefore  applied  -myself  one  day  to  put  the  .keeper  of  the 
temple  in  good  humour,  and  having  succeeded  in  that 
without  much  difficulty,  I  then  told  him  that  from  the 
little  resemblance  I  observed  between  the  Natchez  and  the 
neighbouring  tribes,  I  was  of  the  opinion  that  they  were 
not  originally  from  the  same  country,  and  that  if  the  ancient 
speech  taught  him  anything  on  that  subject,  he  woulcj  do 
me  a  great  pleasure  to  inform  me  of  it.  At  these  words  he 
leaned  his  head  on  his  two  hands  with  which  he  covered  his 
eyes,  and  having  remained  in  that  posture  for  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  as  if  to  recollect  himself,  he  answered  to  the  fol 
lowing  effect : 

" '  Before  we  came  to  this  island  we  lived  yonder  under 
the  sun  (pointing  with  his  finger  nearly  south-west  by  which 
I  understood  he  meant  Mexico),  we  lived  in  a  fine  country 
where  the  earth  is  always  pleasant;  there  our  sons  had 
their  abode,  and  our  nation  maintained  itself  for  a  long 
time  against  hostile  strangers,  who  conquered  some  of  our 
villages  in  the  plains,  but  never  could  force  us  from  the 
mountains.  Our  nation  extended  itself  along  the  great 
water  where  this  large  river  losjes  itself;  but  as  our  enemies 
were  become  very  numerous  and  very  wicked,  our  sons  sent 
some  of  our  subjects  who  lived  near  this  river,  to  examine 
whether  we  could  retire  into  the  country  through  which 
it  flowed.  The  country  on  the  east  side  being  found  ex 
tremely  pleasant,  the  great  son  upon  the  return  of  those 
who  had  examined  it,  ordered  all  his  subjects  who  lived  in 
18 


206  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

plains,  and  who  still  defended  themselves  against  the 
enemies  of  their  country,  to  remove  into  this  land,  here  to 
build  a  temple,  and  to  preserve  the  eternal  fire. 

"  '  A  great  part  of  our  nation  accordingly  settled  here, 
where  they  lived  in  peace  and  abundance  for  several 
generations;  the  great  son  and  those  who  had  remained 
with  him,  never  thought  of  joining  us,  being  tempted  to 
continue  where  they  were  by  the  pleasantness  of  the  country, 
which  was  very  warm,  and  by  the  weakness  of  their 
enemies  who  had  fallen  into  civil  dissensions  by  the  ambi 
tion  of  one  of  their  chiefs  who  wanted  to  raise  himself  from 
a  state  of  equality  with  the  other  chiefs  of  the  villages,  and 
to  treat  all  his  people  as  slaves.  During  those  discords 
among  our  enemies,  some  of  them  even  entered  into  an  al 
liance  with  the  great  son,  who  still  remained  in  our  old 
country,  that  he  might  assist  some  other  brethren  who  had 
settled  on  the  banks  of  the  great  wrater  to  the  east  of  the 
large  river,  and  extended  themselves  so  far  on  the  coast, 
and  among  the  isles  that  the  great  son  did  not  hear  ol 
them,  sometimes  for  five  or  six  years  together. 

"  ( It  was  not  till  after  many  generations  that  the  great 
son  came  to  join  us  in  this  part  of  the  country,  where  from 
the  fine  climate  and  peace  we  had  enjoyed,  we  had  multi 
plied  like  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  Warriors  of  fire  who 
made  the  earth  tremble  had  arrived  in  our  old  country,  and 
having  entered  into  alliance  with  our  brethren,  conquered 
our  ancient  enemies ;  but  attempting  afterwards  to  make 
slaves  of  our  sons,  they,  rather  than  submit  to  them,  left  our 
brethren  who  refused  to  follow  them,  and  came  hither  at 
tended  only  with  their  slaves.' 

"  Upon  my  asking  him  who  those  warriors  of  fire  wTere,  he 
replied  that  they  were  bearded  white  men,  somewhat  of  a 
brownish  colour,  who  carried  arms  which  started  fire  with 
a  great  noise,  and  killed  at  a  great  distance,  that  they  had 
likewise  heavy  arms  which  killed  many  men  at  once,  and 
like  thunder  made  the  earth  tremble,  and  that  they  came 
from  the  sun  rising  in  floating  villages. 

"  '  The  ancients  of  the  country,  he  said,  were  numerous 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS 


207 


and  inhabited  from  the  western  coast  of  the  great  water  to 
the  northern  countries  on  this  side  the  sun,  and  very  far  up 
on  the  same  coast  beyond  the  sun.  They  had  a  great  num 
ber  of  Iarg6  and  small  villages,  which  were  all  built  of  stone, 
and  in  which  there  were  houses  large  enough  to  lodge  a 
whole  village.  Their  temples  were  built  with  great  labour 
and  art,  and  they  made  beautiful  works  of  all  kind  of  ma 
terials. 

" '  But  ye  yourselves,  said  I,  whence  are  ye  come  ?  The 
ancient  speech,  he  replied,  did  not  tell  whence  we  came ; 
all  that  we  knowT  is,  that  our  fathers,  to  come  hither,  fol 
lowed  the  sun  and  came  with  him  from  the  place  where  he 
rises  ;  that  they  wrere  a  long  time  onthe  journey,  were  all 
on  the  point  of  perishing,  and  were  brought  into  the  coun 
try  without  seeking.' 

"  As  to  those  whom  the  Natchez,"  says  Stuart,  "  call  their 
ancient  enemies,  or  the  ancients  of  the  country  of  Mexico, 
I  am  of  opinion,  that  they  had  a  different  origin  from  the 
Natchez  and  the  North  American  Indians.  Their  temples, 
their  sacrifices,  their  buildings,  their  form  of  government, 
and  their  manner  of  making  war,  all  denote  a  people  who 
had  transmigrated  in  a  body,  and  brought  with  them  the 
arts,  the  sciences,  and  the  customs  of  their  country.  Those 
people  had  also  the  art  of  painting  and  writing.  Their 
archives  consisted  of  cloths  of  cotton,  whereon  they  had 
painted  or  drawn  those  transactions  which  they  thought 
worthy  of  being  transmitted  to  posterity. 

"  It  were  greatly  to  be  wished  that  the  first  conquerors 
of  this  new  world  had  preserved  to  us  the  figures  of  those 
drawings ;  for,  by  comparing*  them  with  the  characters  used 
by  other  nations,  we  might  perhaps  have  discovered  the 
origin  of  the  inhabitants.  The  knowledge  we  have  of  the 
Chinese  characters,  which  are  rather  irregular  drawings 
than  characters,  would  probably  have  facilitated  such  a 
discovery ;  and  perhaps  those  of  Japan  would  have  been 
found  to  have  greatly  resembled  the  Mexican  ;  for  I  am 
strongly  of  opinion  that  the  Mexicans  are  descended  from 
one  of  those  nations.  In  fact,  where  is  the  impossibility 


208  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

that  some  prince  in  one  of  those  countries,  upon  failing  in 
an  attempt  to  raise  himself  to  the  sovereign  power,  should 
leave  his  native  country  with  all  his  partisans  and  look  for 
some  new  land,  where,  after  he  had  established  himself,  he 
might  drop  all  foreign  correspondence.  The  easy  naviga 
tion  of  the  South  Sea  renders  the  thing  probable ;  and  the 
new  map  of  the  eastern  bounds  of  Asia  and  the  western  of 
North  America,  lately  published  by  M.  De  Lisle,  makes  it 
still  more  probable.  This  map  makes  it  plainly  appear,  that 
between  the  Island  of  Japan,  or  northern  coasts  of  China, 
and  those  of  America,  there  are  other  lands  which  to  this 
day  have  remained  unknown ;  and  who  will  take  on  him 
self  to  say,  that  there  is  land  because  it  has  not  been  dis 
covered  ?  I  have  therefore  good  grounds  to  believe  that 
the  Mexicans  came  from  China  or  Japan  especially  when 
I  consider  their  reserved  and  uncommunicative  disposition, 
which  to  this  day  prevails  among  the  people  of  the  eastern 
parts  of  Asia.  The  great  antiquity  of  the  Chinese  nation, 
likewise,  makes,  it  possible  that  a  colony  might  have  gone 
from  there  to  America,  early  enough  to  be  looked  on  as  the 
ancients  of  the  country.  As  a  farther  corroboration  of  my 
conjectures,  I  was  informed  by  a  man  of  learning  in  1752, 
that  in  the  king's  library  there  is  a  Chinese  manuscript 
which  positively  affirms  that  America  was  peopled  by  the 
inhabitants  ofCorea. 

"  Monacht  Ape,  after  giving  me  an  account  of  his  travels, 
spent  four  or  five  days  visiting  among  the  Natchez  and  then 
returned  to  take  leave  of  me  when  I  made  him  a  present 
of  several  wares  of  no  value,  among  which  was  a  concave 
mirror  about  two  inches  and  a  half  diameter,  which  had 
cost  me  three  pence  and  one  half-penny :  as  this  magnified 
the  face  to  four  or  five  inches  its  natural  size,  he  was 
wonderfully  delighted  with  it,  and  would  not  have  ex 
changed  it  for  the  best  mirror  in  France.  After  ex 
pressing  his  regret  for  parting  with  me,  he  returned  highly 
satisfied  to  his  own  nation. 

"  Monacht  Ape's  account  of  the  junction  of  America  with 
the  eastern  part  of  Asia,  seems  confirmed  from  the  following 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  209 

remarable  fact :  '  Some  years  ago  the  skeletons  of  two 
large  elephants  and  two  small  ones  were  discovered  in  a 
marsh  near  the  Ohio  River,  and  as  they  were  not  much 
consumed  it  is  supposed  that  the  elephants  came  from  Asia 
not  many  years  before.  If  we  also  consider  the  form  of 
government,  and  the  manner  of  living  among  the  northern 
nations  of  America,  there  will  appear  a  great  resemblance 
between  them  and  the  Tartars  or  Siberians  in  the  north-east 
part  of  Asia.' 

"  The  foregoing  story  has  in  it  many  internal  marks  of 
truth.  Some  of  the  more  prominent  of  them  may  be  here 
succinctly  stated.  Indians  who  have  never  seen  the  ebbing 
and  flowing  of  the  tide,  are  wonderfully  struck  with  this 
phenomenon.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Quebec  must 
still  remember,  that  the  great  deputation  of  the  Indian 
chiefs  from  the  Mississippi,  who  came  to  Quebec  during 
the  administration  of  Sir  George  Provost,  and  had  in  their 
company  the  sister  of  Tecumseh,  were  often  to  be  seen  sit 
ting  in  a  row  upon  a  wharf  in  the  lower  town  of  Quebec, 
contemplating  in  silence,  and  evidently  under  the  deepest 
impression  of  awe,  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  waters  of 
the  St.  Lawrence 

"The  white  men  here  described,  correspond  in  every  partic 
ular  with  the  Chinese,  who,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  held 
commercial  intercourse  with  the  south  of  Africa  a  long  time 
before  Vasco  de  Gama  discovered  and  doubled  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  The  Chinese  are  rather  smaller  than  we  are, 
and  have  the  palest  complexion  indigenous  to  Asia.  Their 
muskets  are  matchlocks,  and  heavier  than  ours,  their  powder 
is  inferior  in  quality. 

"  The  stinking  wood  mentioned  by  the  Indian  chief  is 
probably  fustic,  yielding  a  yellow  dye,  which  is  the  prevail 
ing  colour  of  the  garments  of  the  superior  classes  in  China. 
None  of  these  things  could  have  been  known  to  the  Indian 
chief,  and  the  general  tone  and  character  of  M.  Du  Pratz's 
work  excludes  the  idea  of  his  having  fabricated  the 
story." 

The  learned  Winterbotham,  who  wrote  the  history  of 
18*  ' 


210  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

North  America,  confirms  us  also  in  the  opinion  that 
America  was  entered  from  Asia  by  Kamschatka. 

"  In  the  strait,"  says  he,  "  which  separates  America  from 
Asia,  many  islands  are  found,  which  probably  were  the 
mountains  belonging  to  that  tract  of  land,  which  we  suppose 
to  have  been  swallowed  up  by  earthquakes ;  which  is  made 
more  probable  by  the  multitude  of  volcanoes  which  we 
know  of  in  the  Peninsula  of  Kamschatka.  It  is  imagined, 
however,  that  the  sinking  of  that  land,  and  the  separation 
of  the  two  continents,  by  those  great  and  extraordinary 
earthquakes  mentioned  in  the  histories  of  the  Americans, 
which  formed  an  era  almost  as  memorable  as  that  of  the 
deluge.  The  histories  of  the  Toltecas  fix  such  earthquakes 
in  the  year  I  Tecpatl ;  but  as  we  know  not  to  what  century 
that  belonged,  we  can  form  no  conjecture  of  the  time  that 
great  calamity  happened.  If  a  great  earthquake  should 
overwhelm  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  and  there  should  be  at  the 
same  time  as  great  a  scarcity  of  historians  as  there  were  in 
the  first  ages  after  the  deluge,  it  would  be  doubted,  in  300 
or  400  years  after,  whether  Asia  had  ever  been  united  by 
that  part  to  Africa ;  and  many  would  firmly  deny  it. 

"  Whether  that  great  event,  the  separation  of  the  conti 
nents,  took  place  before  or  after  the  population  of  America, 
is  as  impossible  as  it  is  of  little  moment  for  us  to  know ;  but 
we  are  indebted  to  Cook  and  his  successor  Clerke  for  settling 
a  long  dispute  about  the  point  from  which  it  was  effected. 
Their  observations  prove,  that  in  one  place  the  distance  be 
tween  continent  and  continent  does  not  exceed  thirty  miles. 
This  narrow  strait  has  also  in  the  middle  two  islands  which 
would  greatly  faciliate  the  emigration  of  the  Asiatics  into 
the  new  world,  supposing  that  it  took  place  in  canoes  after 
the  convulsion  which  rent  the  two  continents  asunder.  Be 
sides,  it  may  be  added,  that  these  straits  are,  even  in  sum 
mer  often  filled  with  ice ;  and  in  winter  often  frozen.  In 
either  case  mankind  might  find  an  easy  passage;  in  the  last 
the  way  was  extremely  ready  for  quadrupeds  to  cross  arid 
stock  the  continent  of  America.  Where,  but  from  the  vast 
expanse  of  the  north-eastern  world,  to  fix  on  the  first  tribes 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  211 

contributed  to  people  the  new  world,  now  inhabited 
almost  from  end  to  end,  is  a  matter  which  has  drawn  forth 
the  most  ingenious  conjectures. 

"  As  mankind  increased  in  numbers,  they  naturally  pro 
truded  one  another  forward.  Wars  might  be  another  cause 
of  emigrations.  There  appears  no  reason  why  the  ndrth 
Asiatics  might  not  be  an  offidna  virorum,  as  well  as  the 
Europeans.  The  overteeming  country  to  the  east  of  the 
Riphoean  mountains,  must  have  found  it  necessary  to  dis 
charge  its  inhabitants  ;  the  first  great  wave  of  people  was 
forced  forward  by  the  next  to  it,  more  powerful  than  itself; 
successive  and  new  impulses  continually  arising,  short  rest 
was  given  to  that  which  spread  over  a  more  eastern  tract ; 
disturbed  again  and  again,  it  covered  fresh  regions;  at 
length,  reaching  the  farthest  limits  of  the  old  world,  found 
a  new  one,  with  ample  space  to  occupy  unmolested  for  ages ; 
till  Columbus  cursed  them  by  a  discovery,  which  brought 
again  new  sins  and  new  deaths  to  both  worlds." 

"  The  inhabitants  of  the  new  world,  (the  diligent  anti 
quary  M.  Pennant  observes,)  do  not  consist  of  the  offspring 
of  a  single  nation ;  different  people  at  different  periods  ar 
rived  there ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  any  one  is 
now  to  be  found  on  the  original  spot  of  its  colonization. 
It  is  impossible,  with  the  lights  which  we  have  so  recently 
received,  to  admit  that  America  could  receive  its  'in 
habitants  (at  least  the  bulk  of  them)  from  any  other  place 
than  eastern  Asia.  A  few  proofs  may  be  added,  taken  from 
customs  or  dresses  common  to  the  inhabitants  of  both 
worlds ;  some  have  been  long  extinct  in  the  old,  but  others 
remain  in  both  in  full  force. 

"  The  custom  of  scalping  was  a  barbarism  in  use  with 
the  Scythians,  who  carried  about  them  at  all  time  this  sav 
age  mark  of  triumph.  They  cut  a  circle  round  the  neck, 
and  strippped  off  the  skin,  as  they  would  that  of  an  ox.  A 
little  image  found  among  the  Calmucks,  of  a  Tartarian 
deity,  mounted  on  a  horse,  and  sitting  on  a  human  skin, 
with  scalps  pendant  from  the  breast,  fully  illustrates  the 
custom  of  the  Scythian  progenitors,  as  described  by  the 


212  ORIGIN   OF    THE 

Greek  historian.  This  usage,  as  the  Europeans  know  by 
horrid  experience,  is  continued  to  this  day  in  America.  The 
ferocity  of  the  Scythians  to  the  prisoners  extended  to  the 
remotest  part  of  Asia.  The  Kamschadales,  even  at  the  time 
when  they  were  discovered  by  the  Russians,  put  their  pris 
oners  to  death  by  the  most  lingering  and  excruciating  in 
ventions  ;  a  practice  in  full  force  till  this  day  among  the 
aboriginal  Americans.  A  race  of  the  Scythians  were 
styled  Anthropophagi,  from  their  feeding  on  human  flesh. 

"  The  people  of  Nootka  Sound  still  make  a  repast  on 
their  fellow  creatures  ;  but  what  is  more  wonderful,  the  sav 
age  allies  of  the  British  army  have  been  known  to  throw 
the  mangled  limbs  of  the  French  prisoners  into  the  horrible 
cauldron,  and  devour  them  with  the  same  relish  as  those  of 
a  quadruped. 

"  The  Scythians  were  said,  for  a  certain  time,  annually 
to  transform  themselves  into  wolves,  and  again  to  resume 
the  human  shape.  The  new  discovered  Americans  about 
Nootka  Sound,  at  this  time,  disguise  themselves  in  the 
dresses  made  of  the  skins  of  wolves  and  other  wrild  beasts, 
and  wear  even  the  heads  fitted  to  their  own.  These  habits 
they  use  in  the  chase,  to  circumvent  the  animals  of  the  field. 
But  would  not  ignorance  or  superstition  ascribe  to  a  super 
natural  metamorphosis,  these  temporary  expedients  to  de 
ceive  the  brute  creation  ? 

"  In  their  marches  the  Kamschadales  never  went  abreast 
but  followed  one  another  in  the  same  track.  The  same 
custom  is  exactly  observed  by  the  Americans. 

"  The  Tongusi,  the  most  numerous  nation  resident  in 
Siberia,  prick  their  faces  in  small  punctures  with  a 
needle  in  various  shapes ;  then  rub  into  them  charcoal,  so 
that  the  marks  become  indelible.  This  custom  is  still  ob 
served  in  several  parts  of  America.  The  Indians  on  the 
back  of  Hudson's  Bay,  to  this  day,  perform  the  operation 
exactly  in  the  same  manner,  and  puncture  the  skin  into 
various  figures  ;  as  the  natives  of  New  Zealand  do  at  pre 
sent,  and  as  the  ancient  Britons  did  with  the  herb  glastumf 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  213 

or  woad,  and  the  Virginians  .on  the  first  discovery  of  that 
country  by  the  English. 

"  The  Tongusi  use  canoes  made  ot  birch  bark,  distended 
over  ribs  of  wood,  and  nicely  sewed  together.  The  Cana 
dian  and  many  other  American  nations,  use  no  other  sort  of 
boats.  The  paddles  of  the  Tongusi  are  broad  at  each  end  ; 
those  of  the  people  near  Cook's  River  and  of  Onslascha,  are 
of  the  same  form. 

"  In  the  burying  of  the  dead,  many  of  the  American  na 
tions  place  the  corpse  at  full  length,  after  preparing  it  ac 
cording  to  their  customs.  Others  place  it  in  a  sitting  pos 
ture,  and  lay  by  it  the  most  valuable  clothing,  wampum,  and 
other  matters.  The  Tartars  and  Coriaks  did  the  same  as 
well  as  the  Tongusi  and  Kamsthadales.  They  all  agree  in 
covering  the  wrhole  with  earth,  so  as  to  form  a  tumulus,  bar 
row,  or  earned. 

"  Some  of  the  American  nations  hang  their  dead  in  trees. 
Certain  of  the  Tongusi  observe  a  similar  custom. 

"We  can  draw  some  analogy  from  dress ;  conveniency 
in  that  article  must  have  been  consulted  on  both  continents, 
and  originally  the  materials  must  have  been  the  same,  the 
skins  of  birds  and  beasts.  It  is  singular  that  the  conic  bon 
net  of  the  Chinese  should  be  found  among  the  people  of 
Nootka. 

"  In  respect  to  the  features  and  form  of  the  human  body, 
almost  every  tribe  found  along  the  western  coast  has  some 
similitude  to  the  Tartar  and  Siberian  nations,  and  still  retain 
the  little  eyes,  small  noses,  high  cheeks,  and  broad  faces. 
They  vary  in  size  from  the  lusty  Calmucks  to  the  little 
Nogains.  The  internal  Americans,  such  as  the  five  Indian 
nations,  who  are  tall  of  body,  robust  in  make,  and  of  oblong 
faces,  are  derived  from  a  variety  among  the  Tartars  and  Si 
berians  themselves. 

"  The  continent  which  stocked  America  w'th  the  human 
race  poured  in  the  brute  creation  through  the  same  passage. 
Very  few  quadrupeds  continued  in  the  Peninsula  of  Kams- 
chatka  ;  M.  Pennant  enumerates  only  twenty -five  which  are 
inhabitants  of  that  land ;  all  the  rest  persisted  in  their  emi- 


214  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

gration,  and  fixed  their  residence  in  the  new  world.  Sev 
enteen  of  the  quadrupeds  of  Kamschatka  are  found  in  Amer 
ica;  others  are  common  to  Tartary  or  Siberia,  having  for 
unknown  causes  entirely  evacuated  Kamschatka,  and  divided 
themselves  between  America  and  the  parts  of  Asia  above 
cited." 

The  reader  is  now  at  liberty  to  judge  whether  these  obser 
vations  and  researches  of  modern  travellers  will  serve  as  in 
controvertible  proofs  of  the  Asiatic  origin  of  the  North 
American  Indians,  or  as  mere  conjectures,  which  are  liable 
to  delusion  and  error.  Conjectures,  hypothesis,  and  specu 
lative  opinions  are,  it  is  true,  frequently  to  be  considered  as 
unwary  guides,  and  false  clues  which  will  not  lead  us,  in  a 
labyrinth  of  obscurity  and  antiquity,  to  the  original  source 
of  a  nation.  In  the  present  inquiry,  however,  there  is  no 
room  for  suspicion,  because  the  manners  and  customs,  the  in 
tellectual  faculties  as  well  as  the  external  appearance  and 
complexion  of  the  Asiatics  and  the  aborigines  of  North 
America,  have  been  depicted  faithfully  and  impartially  by 
several  persons  of  veracity  and  erudition,  without  reference 
to  the  descent  of  either  the  aboriginal  Americans  or  those 
Asiatic  tribes  which  they  described,  from  any  particular  na 
tion,  or  country.  When,  therefore,  the  characteristical  fea 
tures,  as  well  as  the  external  appearance,  bodily  frame,  and 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  American  Indians,  and  cer 
tain  tribes  in  Asia  coincide  so  singularly,  and  differ  so  con 
siderably  from  the  national' peculiarities  of  the  rest  of  the 
human  race,  an  ancient  consanguinity  will  at  once  be  ac 
knowledged  even  by  the  most  incredulous  or  suspicious.  In 
the  absence  of  true  and  faithful  traditions,  records,  and  his 
tory,  a  comparative  view  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  two 
nations,  and  a  collation  of  their  languages  aie  the  only 
means  by  which  the  antiquary  can  discover  an  affinity  be 
tween  them.  This  we  have  done  with  as  m^di  fidelity  as 
the  importance  of  the  inquiry  evidently  re ^uires.  Our  re 
searches,  therefore,  are  founded  on  the  Liercourse  of  modern 
travellers  with  the  inhabitants  of  both  continents ;  and  the 
reader  will  not,  we  hope,  hesitate  to  believe  not  only  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANA.  215 

Asiatic  origin  of  the  North  American  Indians,  but  their  im 
mediate  descent  from  the  Siberians,  Kamschadales,  and 
Tartars 


INDIAN  ELOQUENCE. 

Their  natural  eloquence  is  acknowledged  by  every  person 
who  heard  their  orators  speak.  In  order,  therefore,  that 
the  reader  may  be  convinced  of  these,  facts,  we  shall  offer 
the  following  able  observations  of  one  of  our  public  journals, 
on  Indian  eloquence : 

"  A  few  suns  more  and  the  Indian  will  live  only  in 
history.  A  few  centuries  and  that  history  will  be  coloured 
with  the  mellow  romantic  Lght  in  which  time  robes  the 
past,  and,  contrasted  with  the  then  present  wealth  and 
splendour  of  America,  may  seesm  so  impossible,  as  to  elicit 
from  the  historian  a  philosophic  doubt  of  its  authenticity. 
The  period  may  arrive  when  the  same  uncertainty  which 
hangs  over  the  heroic  days  of  every  people  may  attend  its 
records,  and  the  stirring  deeds  of  the  battle  field  and  council- 
fire  may  be  regarded  as  attractive  fictions,  or  at  the  best  as 
beautiful  exaggerations. 

"  This  is  but  in  the  nature  of  things.  Actions  always 
lose  their  reality  and  distinctness  in  the  perspective  0f  ages  * 
time  is  their  charnel  house.  And  no  memorials  are  to  be 
lost  or  forgotten,  as  soon  as  those  of  conquered  nations.  Of 
the  Angels  and  Saxons  little  more  than  a  name  has  survived, 
and  the  Indian  may  meet  no  better  fate.  Even  though  our 
own  history  is  enveloped  in  theirs,  it  is  somewhat  to  be 
feared,  that,  from  neglect,  the  valuable  cover  will  be  suf- 


things 

the  wild  legend  be  forgotten  ;  they  are  but  exhibitions  of  a 
savage  life,  teeming  with  disgusting  excess,  and  brutal 
passion.  They  portray  man  in  no  interesting  light ;  for 


216  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

with  every  redeeming  trait,  there  rises  on  some  a  revolting 
characteristic  in  horrid  contrast  Was  he  grateful  1  so  was 
his  revenge  bloody  and  eternal.  Was  he  brave  ?  so  was  he 
treacherous.  Was  he  generous  ?  so  was  he  crafty  and 
cruel. 

"  But  a  more  philosophical  mind  would  say,  no !  he 
presents  a  part  of  the  panorama  of  humanity,  and  his  exter 
mination  is  an  embodiment  of  a  great  principle — the  same 
retreat  of  the  children  of  the  wilderness  before  the  wave  of 
civilization;  hence  arises  a  deep  interest  in  his  fortune, 
which  should  induce  us  to  preserve,  carefully  and  faithfully, 
the  most  trifling  record  of  his  greatness  and  degradation. 
At  a  time  when  barbarous  nations  elsewhere  had  lost  their 
primitive  purity,  we  find  him  the  only  true  child  of  nature — 
the  best  specimen  of  man  in  his  native  simplicity.  We 
should  remember  him  as  a  study  of  human  nature  -as  an 
instance  of  a  strange  mixture  of  good  and  evil  passions.  We 
perceive  in  him  fine  emotions  of  feeling  and  delicacy,  and 
unrestrained  systematic  cruelty,  grandeur  of  spirit  and 
hypocritical  cunning,  genuine  courage  and  fiendish  treach 
ery.  He  was  like  some  beautiful  spar,  part  of  which  is 
regular,  clear,  and  sparkling,  while  a  portion,  impregnated 
with  clay,  is  dark  and  forbidding. 

"  But  above  all,  as  being  an  engrossing  subject  to  an 
American,  as  coming ,to  us  the  only  relic  of  the  literature 
of  the  aborigines,  and  the  most  perfect  emblem  of  their 
character,  their  glory  and  their  intellect,  we  should  dearly 
cherish  the  remains  of  their  oratory.  In  these  we  see 
developed  the  motives  which  animated  their  actions,  and 
the  light  and  shadows  of  their  very  soul  The  iron  encase 
ment  of  apparent  apathy  in  which  the  savage  had  fortified 
himself,  impenetrable  at  ordinary  moments,  is  laid  aside  in 
the  council  room.  The  genius  of  eloquence  bursts  the 
swathing  bands  of  custom,  and  the  Indian  stands  forth  ac 
cessible,  natural,  and  legible.  We  commune  with  him, 
listen  to  his  complaints,  understand,  appreciate,  and  even 
feel  his  injuries. 

"  As  Indian  eloquence  is  a  key  to  his  character,  so  is  it  a 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  217 

noble  monument  of  their  literature.  Oratory  seldom  finds  a 
more  auspicious  field.  A  wild  people,  and  region  of  thought, 
forbade  feebleness ;  uncultivated,  but  intelligent  and  sensi 
tive,  a  purity  of  idea,  chastely  combined  with  energy  of  ex 
pression,  ready  fluency  and  imagery  now  exquisitely  delicate, 
now  soaring  to  the  sublime,  all  united  to  rival  the  efforts  of 
any  ancient  or  modern  orator. 

"  What  cam  be  imagined  more  impressive,  than  a  warrior 
rising  in  the  council-room  to  address  those  who  bore  the 
same  scarred  marks  of  their  title  to  fame  and  the  chieftain 
ship  ?  The  dignified  stature,  the  easy  repose  of  limbs — the 
graceful  gesture,  the  dark  speaking  eye,  excite  equal  admira 
tion  and  expectation.  We  would  anticipate  eloquence  from 
an  Indian.  He  has  animating  remembrances — a  poverty 
of  language,  which  exacts  rich  and  apposite  metaphorical 
allusions,  even  for  ordinary  conversation — a  mind  which, 
like  his  body,  has  never  been  trammeled  and  mechanized 
by  the  formalities  of  society,  and  passions  which,  from  the 
very  outward  restraint  imposed  upon  them,  burn  more 
fiercely  within.  There  is  a  mine  of  truth  in  the  reply  of  Red 
Jacket,  when  called  a  warrior  :  '  A  warrior  /'  said  he  ;  '  I 
am  an  orator — I  was  born  an  orator.' 

"There  are  not  many  speeches  remaining  on  record,  but 
even  in  this  small  number  there  is  such  a  rich  yet  varied 
vein  of  all  the  characteristics  of  true  eloquence,  that  we  even 
rise  from  their  perusal  with  regret  that  so  few  have  been 
preserved.  No  where  can  be  found  a  poetic  thought  clothed 
in  more  captivating  simplicity  of  expression,  than  in  the 
answer  of  Tecumseh  to  Governor  Harrison,  in  the  conference 
at  Vincennes.  It  contains  a  high  moral  rebuke,  and  a  sar 
casm  heightened  in  effect  by  an  evident  consciousness  of 
loftiness  above  the  reach  of  insult.  At  the  close  of  his  ad 
dress,  he  found  that  no  chair  had  been  placed  for  him,  a  ne 
glect  which  Governor  Harrison  ordered  to  be  remedied  as 
soon  as  discovered.  Suspecting,  perhaps,  that  it  was  more 
an  affront  than  a  mistake,  with  an  air  of  dignity,  elevated 
almost  to  haughtiness,  he  declined  the  seat  proffered,  with 
the  words,  <  Your  father  requests  you  to  take  a  chair/  and 


218  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

answered  as  he  calmly  disposed  himself  on  the  ground :  c  My 
father  ?  The  sun  is  my  father,  and  the  earth  is  my  mother. 
/  will  repose  upon  her  bosom.' 

"  As  they  excelled  in  the  beautiful,  so  also  they  possessed 
a  nice  sense  of  the  ridiculous.  There  is  a  clever  strain  of 
irony,  united  with  the  sharpest  taunt,  in  the  speech  of  Ga- 
rangula  to  De  la  Barre,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  when  that 
crafty  Frenchman  met  his  tribe  in  council,  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  peace,  and  reparation  for  past  injuries.  The  Eu 
ropean,  a  faithful  believer  in  the  maxim  that  En  guerre  ou 
la  peau  du  lion  ne  pent  suffire  il  y  faut  coudre  un  lupin  de 
celle  du  regnard,'  attempted  to  over-awe  the  savage  by 
threats,  which  he  well  knew  he  had  no  power  to  execute. 
Garangula,  who  also  was  well  aware  of  his  weakness,  re 
plied,  '  Yonondia,  you  must  have  believed  when  you  left 
Quebec,  that  the  sun  had  burned  up  all  the  forests  which 
render  our  country  inaccessible  to  the  French,  or  that  the 
lakes  had  so  overflowed  their  banks,  that  they  had  surround 
ed  our  castles,  and  that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  get  out 
of  them.  Yes,  surely  you  must  have  dreamed  so,  and  curiosity 
of  seeing  so  great  a  wonder  has  brought  you  so  far.  Hear, 
Yonondia  :  our  wom.en  had  taken  their  clubs,  our  children 
and  old  men  had  carried  their  bows  and  arrows  into  the 
heart  of  your  camp,  if  our  warriors  had  not  disarmed  them, 
and  kept  them  back  when  your  messengers  came  to  our 
castle.'  We  cannot  give  a  better  idea  of  the  effect  of  their 
harangues  upon  their  own  people,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
finer  instance  of  their  gratefulness  when  skilfully  touched, 
than  in  the  address  to  the  Wallah  Wallahs  by  their  young 
chief,  the  Morning  Star.  In  consequence  of  the  death  of 
several  of  their  tribe,  killed  in  one  of  their  predatory  excur 
sions  against  the  whites,  they  had  collected  in  a  large  body 
for  the  purpose  of  assailing  them.  The  stern,  uncomprom 
ising  hostility  with  which  they  were  animated,  may  be 
imagined  from  the  words  they  chaunted  on  approaching  to 
the  attack  :  '  Rest,  brothers,  rest !  You  will  be  avenged. 
The  tears  of  your  widows  will  cease  to  flow,  when  they  be 
hold  the  blood  of  your  murderers,  and  on  seeing  their  scalps, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  219 

your  children  shall  sing  and  leap  with  joy.  Rest, brothers, 
in  peace  !  Rest,  we  shall  have  blood  !"  The  last  strains 
of  the  death-song  had  died  away.  The  gleaming  eye,  burn 
ing  with  the  desire  of  revenge— the  countenance,  fierce  even 
through  an  Indian's  cloak — the  levelled  gun  and  poised  ar 
row,  forbade  promise  of  peace,  and  their  superior  force  as 
little  hope  of  successful  resistance.  At  this  moment  of  aw 
ful  excitement,  a  mounted  troop  burst  in  between  them,  and 
its  leader  addressed  his  kindred :  '  Friends  and  relations ! 
Three  snows  have  only  passed  over  our  heads,  since  we 
were  a  poor,  miserable  people.  Our  enemies  were  numer 
ous  and  powerful ;  we  were  few  and  weak.  Our  hearts 
were  as  the  hearts  of  children.  We  could  not  fight  like 
warriors,  and  were  driven  like  deer  about  the  plain.  When 
the  thunder  rolled,  and  the  rains  poured,  we  had  no  place 
save  the  rocks,  whereon  we  could  lay  our  heads.  Is  such 
the  case  now  ?  No  !  We  have  regained  possession  of  the 
land  of  our  fathers,  in  which  they  and  their  fathers'  fathers 
lie  buried ;  our  hearts  are  great  within  its,  and  we  are  now 
a  nation.  Who  has  produced  this  change  1  The  white 
man !  And  are  we  to  treat  him  with  ingratitude  1  The 
warrior  with  the  strong  arm  and  great  heart  will  never  rob  a 
friend.'  The  result  was  wonderful.  There  was  a  complete 
revulsion  of  feeling.  The  angry  waves  were  quieted,  and 
the  savage,  forgetting  his  enmity,  smoked  the  calumet  with 
those  whom  the  eloquence  of  Morning  Star  alone  had  saved 
from  his  scalping  knife. 

"  Fearlessness  and  success  in  battle  were  the  highest  titles 
to  honour,  and  an  accusation  of  cowardice  was  a  deadly  in 
sult.  A  reproach  of  this  kind  to  a  celebrated  chief  received 
a  chivalric  reply.  Kognethagecton,  or,  as  he  was  more 
generally  called,  White  Eyes,  at  the  time  his 'nation  was 
solicited  to  join  in  the  war  against  the,  Americans,  in  our 
struggle  for  liberty,  exerted  his  influence  against  hostile 
measures.  His  answer  to  the  Senecas,  who  were  in  the 
British  interest,  and  who,  irritated  by  his  obstinate  adhe- 
rance  to  peace,  attempted  to  humble  him,  by  reference  to  an 
old  story  of  the  Delawares  being  a  conquered  people,  is  a 


220  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

manly  and  dignified  assertion  of  independence.  It  reminds 
one  of  the  noble  motto  of  the  Frenchman ;  '  Je  n'estime  un 
autre  plus  grand  que  moi  lorsqae  fai  mon  epee.9  '  I  know 
well,'  said  he, '  that  you  consider  us  a  conquered  nation — as 
women — as  your  inferiors.  You  have,  say  you,  shortened 
our  legs,  and  put  petticoats  on  us.  You  say  you  have  given 
us  a  hoe  and  a  corn-pounder,  and  told  us  to  plant  and  pound 
for  you — you  men — you  warriors.  But  look  at  me — am  I 
not  full  grown  ?  And  have  I  not  a  warrior's  dress  ?  Ay  ! 
I  am  a  man — and  these  are  the  arms  of  a  man — and  all  that 
country  is  mine  !'  What  a  dauntless  vindication  of  man 
hood,  and  what  a  nice  perception  of  Indian  character,  is  this 
appeal  to  their  love  of  courage,  and  their  admiration  for  a 
fine  form,  vigorous  limbs,  complete  arms,  and  a  proud  de 
meanor  !  How  effective  and  emphatic  the  conclusion,  '  all 
that  country  is  mine  !'  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  mingled  de 
fiance  and  pride,  and  accompanied  with  a  wave  of  the  hand 
over  the  rich  country  bordering  on  the  Allegheny. 

"  This  bold  speech  quelled  for  a  time  all  opposition,  but 
.  the  desire  to  engage  against  the  Americans,  increased  by 
the  false  reports  of  some  wandering  tories,  finally  became 
so  vehement,  that,  as  a  last  resort,  he  proposed  to  the  tribe 
to  wait  ten  days  before  commencing  hostilities.  Even  this 
was  about  to  J)e  denied  him,  and  the  term  traitor  beginning 
to  be  whispered  around,  when  he  rose  in  council,  and  began 
an  animated  expostulation  against  their  conduct.  He  de 
picted  its  inevitable  consequences,  the  sure  advance  of  the 
white  man,  and  the  ruin  of  his  nation ;  and  then,  in  a  gen 
erous  manner,  disclaimed  any  interest  or  feelings  separate 
from  those  of  his  friends ;  and  added :  '  But  if  you  will  go 
out  in  this  war,  you  shall  not  go  without  me.  I  have  taken 
peace  measures,  it  is  true,  with  a  view  of  saving  my  tribe 
from  destruction.  But  if  you  think  me  in  the  wrong — if 
you  give  more,  credit  to  runaway  vagabonds  than  to  your  own 
friends — to  a  man — to  a  warrior — to  a  Delaware — if  you 
insist  upon  fighting  the  Americans — go !  And  I  will  go 
with  you.  And  I  will  not  go  like  the  bear  hunters,  who  sets 
his  dogs  upon  the  animal,  to  be  beaten  about  ivith  his  paws, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  221 

while  he  keeps  himself  at  a  safe  distance.  No !  I  will  lead 
you  on.  I  will  place  myself  in  the  front.  I  will  fall  with 
the  first  of  you.  You  can  do  as  you  choose.  But  as  for  me, 
I  will  not  survive  my  nation.  I  will  not  live  to  bewail  the 
miserable  destruction  of  a  brave  people,  who  deserved,  as 
you  do,  a  better  fate !' 

"  The  allusion  to  their  greater  confidence  in  foreigners 
than  in  their  own  kindred,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  censure, 
wonderfully  strengthened  by  a  beautiful  climacteric  arrange 
ment.  Commencing  with  a  friend — and  who  so  grateful  as 
an  Indian  ? — it  passes  to  a  man — and  who  so  vain  of  birth 
right  as  an  Indian  1 — then  to  a  warrior ;  and  who  more 
glorious  to  the  savage  than  the  man  of  battle  ? — and  lastly 
to  a  Delaware — a  word  which  rings  through  the  hearts  of 
his  hearers,  starts  into  life  a  host  of  proud  associations,  and 
while  it  deepens  their  contempt  for  the  stranger  and  his 
falsehoods,  imparts  a  grandeur  to  the  orator,  in  whom  the 
friend,  the  man,  the  warrior,  the  Delaware  are  personified. 

"  The  spirit  of  the.  conclusion  added  to  its  force.  It  was 
the  out-bursting  of  that  firm  determination  never  to  forsake 
their  customs  and  laws — that  brotherhood  of  feeling  which 
have  ever  inspired  the  action  of  the  aborigines — a  spirit 
which  time  has  strengthened,  insult  hardened  to  obstinacy, 
and  oppression  rendered  almost  hereditary.  It  bespeaks  a 
bold  soul,  resolved  to  die  with  the  loss  of  its  country's 
liberties. 

"  We  pass  by  the  effect  of  this  speech,  by  merely  stating 
that  it  was  successful,  to  notice  a  letter  much  of  the  same 
character  as  the  close  of  the  last,  sent  to  General  Clinch,  by 
the  chief  who  is  now  setting  our  troops  at  defiance  in 
Florida.  '  You  have  arms,'  says  he, l  and  so  have  we ;  you 
have  powder  and  lead,  and  so  have  we ;  you  have  men, 
and  so  have  we ;  your  men  will  fight,  and  so  will  ours,  till 
the  last  drop  of  the  Seminole's  blood  has  moistened  the  dust  of 
his  hunting  ground?  This  needs  no  comment.  Intrepidi 
ty  is  their  character. 

"  View  these  evidences  of  attachment  to  the  customs  of 
their  fathers,  and  of  heroic  resolution  to  leave  their  bones 
19* 


222 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


in  the  forests  where  they  were  born,  and  which  were  their 
inheritance,  and  then  revert  to  their  unavailing,  hopeless 
resistance  against  the  march  of  civilization;  and  though  we 
know  it  is  the  rightful  natural  course  of  things,  yet  it  is  a 
hard  heart  which  does  not  feel  for  their  fate.  Turn  to  Red 
Jacket's  graphic  description  of  the  fraud  which  purloined 
their  territory,  and  shame  mingles  somewhat  with  our  pity. 
6  Brothers,  at  the  treaties  held  for  the  purchase  of  our  lands, 
the  white  men,  with  sweet  voices  and  smiling  faces,  told  us 
they  loved  us,  and  they  would  not  cheat  us,  but  that  the 
king's  children  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  would  cheat 
us.  When  we  go  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  the  king's 
children  tell  us  your  people  will  cheat  us.  These  things 
puzzle  our  heads,  and  we  believe  that  the  Indians  must 
take  care  of  themselves,  and  not  trust  either  in  your  people 
or  in  the  king's  children.  Brothers,  our  seats  were  once 
large,  and  yours  very  small.  You  have  now  become  a  great 
people,  and  we  have  scarcely  a  place  left  to  spread  our 
blankets.9  True,  and  soon  their  graves  will  be  all  they  shall 
retain  of  their  once  ample  hunting  grounds.  Their  strength 
is  wasted,  their  countless  warriors  dead,  their  forest  laid 
low,  and  their  burial-places  upturned  by  the  ploughshare. 
There  was  a  time  when  the  war-cry  of  a  Powhattan,  a 
Delaware,  or  an  Abenaquis,  struck  terror  to  the  heart  of  a 
pale-face ;  but  now  the  Seminole  is  singing  his  last  song. 

"  Some  of  the  speeches  of  Shenandoah,  a  celebrated 
Oneida  chief,  contain  the  truest  touches  of  natural  eloquence. 
He  lived  to  a  great  age ;  and  in  his  last  oration  in  council, 
he  opened  with  the  following  sublime  and  beautiful  sen 
tence  :  ( Brothers — I  am  an  aged  hemlock.  The  winds  of  a 
hundred  winters  have  whistled  through  my  branches,  and  I 
am  dead  at  the  top.9  Every  reader  who  has  seen  a  tall 
hemlock,  with  a  dry  and  leafless  top  surmounting  its  dark 
green  foliage*  will  feel  the  force  of  the  simile.  '  I  am  dead 
at  the  top.'  His  memory,  and  all  the  vigorous  powers  of 
youth,  had  departed  for  ever. 

"  Not  less  felicitous  was  the  close  of  a  speech  made  by 
Pushmataha,  a  venerable  chief  of  a  western  tribe,  af  a 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  223 

council  held,  we  believe,  in  Washington,  many  years  since. 
In  alluding  to  his  extreme  age,  and  to  the  probability  that 
he  might  not  even  survive  the  journey  back  to  his  tribe,  he 
said :  '  My  children  will  walk  through  the  forests,  and  the 
Great  Spirit  will  whistle  in  the  tree-tops,  and  the  flowers 
will  spring  up  in  the  trails — but  Pushmataha  will  hear  not 
— he  will  see  the  flowers  no  more.  He  will  be  gone.  His 
people  will  know  that  he  is  dead.  The  news  will  come  to 
their  ears,  as  the  sound  of  the  fall  of  a  mighty  oak  in  the 
stillness  of  the  woods.9 

"  The  most  powerful  tribes  have  been  destroyed ;  and  as 
Sadekanatie  expressed  it, '  Strike  at  the  root,  and  when  the 
trunk  shall  be  cut  down,  the  branches  shall  fall  of  course  V 
The  trunk  has  fallen,  the  branches  arc  slowly  withering, 
and  shortly  the  question,  Who  is  there  lo  mourn  for  Logan, 
may  be  made  of  the  whole  race,  and  find  not  a  sympathi 
zing  reply. 

"  Their  actions  may  outlive,  but  their  oratory,  we  think, 
must  survive  their  fate.  It  contains  may  attributes  of  true 
eloquence.  With  a  language  too  barren,  and  minds  too 
free  for  the  rules  of  rhetoric,  they  still  attained  the  power 
of  touching  the  feeling,  and  a  sublimity  of  style  which 
rivals  the  highest  productions  of  their  more  cultivated 
enemies.  Expression  apt  and  pointed — language  strong  and 
figurative — comparisons  rich  and  bold — descriptions  correct 
and  picturesque — and  gestures  energetic  and  graceful,  were 
the  most  striking  peculiarities  of  their  oratory.  The  latter 
rations,  accurate  mirrors  of  their  character,  their  bravery 
immoveable  stoicism,  and  a  native  grandeur,  heightened  as 
they  are  in  expressiveness  by  the  melancholy  accompaniment 
of  approaching  extermination,  will  be  as  enduring  as  the 
swan-like  music  of  Attica  and  Roman  eloquence,  which 
was  the  funeral  song  of  the  liberties  of  those  republics." 

These  remarks,  which  allude  to  the  state  of  the  Indians 
of  America,  are  evidently  too  true  to  require  any  comments ; 
and  as  to  Indian  eloquence,  we  cannot  hesitate  a  moment 
to  admit  the  fact,  when  we  consider  that  ever}'  rude  nation 
whose  languages  are  original,  yet  barren,  use  a  style  sub- 


224  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

lime  and  figurative,  full  of  bold  and  beautiful  expressions ; 
and  such  was  the  style  of  Ossian ;  yet  his  language  has 
never  been  cultivated,  but  left  in  its  original  grandeur  and 
simplicity. 

As  we  intend  to  offer  in  anotner  part  of  this  work  a  co-  [ 

pious  selection  of  Indian  Orations  which  will  speak  for 
themselves,  and  at  the  same  time  show,  that  their  reasoning 
was  just  and  their  language  frequently  sarcsatic,  however 
void  of  our  refined  sophistry,  the  foregoing  observations  may 
may  suffice  for  the  present. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCHES 

OF    THE   MOST   DISTINGUISHED 

INDIAN  NATIONS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

AND 

BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES  OF  THEIR  MOST  CELEBRATED   WARRIORS, 
ORATORS   AND   STATESMEN. 

HAVING  now  offered  to  the  reader  the  most  plausible  as 
well  as  the  most  rational  arguments  that  can  be  used  in  tra 
cing  the  origin  of  the  Red  Men  of  the  western  continent, 
and  having  likewise  presented  a  faithful  description  of  their 
national  peculiarities,  we  have  deemed  it  proper  to  conclude 
with  brief  and  separate  sketches  of  the  history  of  the  various 
nations  which  formed  those  powerful  confederacies  of  former 
times,  and  which  are  now  disappearing  so  fast,  that  no  traces 
of  their  greatness,  or  even  of  their  existence  can  be  discov 
ered  at  the  present  day,  except  their  name  alone,  and  that 
on  the  page  of  history  only.  It  is  not,  however,  our  inten 
tion  to  inquire  after  all  the  different  tribes  that  must  have 
once  inhabited  North  America, but  those  only  whose  martial 
prowess  on  the  field  of  battle,  eloquence  and  political 
prudence  in  the  Indian  council,  entitle  them  to  the  respect 
ful  notice  of  Indian  biographers. 

One  nation  or  one  confederacy  included  several  tribes, 
who  were  considered  as  members  of  the  same  family,  in 
which  they  were  all  united.  This  union  was  generally  na 
med  after  the  original  stock.  Such  was  the  case  in  Virginia, 
during  the  days  of  the  celebrated  Captain  Smith.  The 
confederacy  of  the  famous  Powhattan,  the  father  of  the  still 
more  illustrious  Pocahontas,  consisted  of  thirty  tribes,  known 
in  the  history  of  that  countrv  generally  by  the  name  of 
Powhattans.  The  family  of  Powhattan  was  the  most  an- 


226  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

cient  of  the  whole,  but  certainly  not  the  most  numerous, 
hence  the  name  became  the  national  appellation  of  all  the 
united  tribes. 

The  Mohawks  were  the  head  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  the 
whole  confederacy  was  frequently  known  by  that  name. 
The  Indians  of  New  England  adopted  the  same  rule  of  sty 
ling  the  whole  nation  according  to  the  senior  tribe ;  those 
who  resided  in  the  north,  on  the  borders  of  the  lakes,  were 
combined  and  united  after  the  same  policy.  The  grand 
sachem  belonged  to  the  ancient  and  original  stock,  from 
which  the  rest  were  said  to  be  descended.  To  him  all  the 
inferior  chiefs  of  the  subordinate  tribes  were  subject.  This 
form  of  government  was  evidently  no  other  than  the  repub 
lican  system  of  the  present  day,  so  that  democracy  was  the 
basis  of  their  political  institutions,  however  rude  and  imper 
fect  their  mode  of  self  government  may  appear  to  us. 

Tribes  and  nations  frequently  formed  an  alliance  of  friend 
ship  with  each  other,  without  being  in  any  particular  way 
related  in  blood ;  intermarriages  and  local  circumstances  led 
to  this  union,  in  order, .  no  doubt,  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  common  enemy.  The  murder  of  one  individual 
member  of  this  combination  was  often  a  sufficient  cause  for 
the  declaration  of  war,  when  the  most  bloody  massacre  en 
sued,  according  to  the  savage  warfare  of  Indians.  At  the 
arrival  of  Europeans,  strange  to  be  told,  there  were,  indeed, 
few  or  no  Indian  tribes,  who  could  be  said,  to  be  at  that 
time,  inhabiting  the  original  territory  of  their  ancestors. 
They  had  all  of  them  certain  traditions  which  accounted 
for  their  migrations  from  the  north,  the  south,  the  west,  and 
the  east;  and  what  is  still  more  strange,  many  of  those 
tribes  have  been  known  to  retrace  their  steps  to  the  place 
whence  they  at  first  started.  This  they  are  continuing  to 
do,  at  the  present  time ;  but  we  may  presume,  that  they  are 
now  actuated  more  by  compulsory  means  than  by  any  vo 
luntary  motives  of  their  own.  The  Red  Men,  may,  there 
fore  in  the  process  of  time,  and  in  the  lapse  of  a  century,  be 
seen  approaching  the  coasts  of  Asia,  to  seek  an  asylum  in 


J 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  227 

the  bleak  regions  of  Tartary  and  Siberia,  to  which  America 
was  first  indebted  for  its  red  population. 

As  those  warlike  nations  had  produced  eminent  menj  no 
less  celebrated  in  time  of  peace  than  in  war,  whose  talents 
as  orators,  statesmen,  and  warriors  have  been  the  admiration 
of  the  philosopher  as  well  as  the  historian,  we  shall  devote 
some  few  pages  to  the  memory  of  their  noble  and  magnani 
mous  chieftains. 


POWHATTANS. 

The  Powhattans  were  once  a  powerful  nation  of  Indians, 
which  occupied  the  whole  tract  of  country  (now  called 
Virginia)  between  the  sea  shore  and  the  falls  of  the  rivers  ; 
the  nation  consisted  of  thirty  tribes ;  and  the  chief  sachem 
was  called  Powhattan,  at  the  time  of  the  effectual  settlement 
from  Europe,  in  16 10.  In  the  early  progress  of  the  settlement, 
Captain  John  Smith,  a  distinguished  founder  of  the  colony 
of  Virginia,  was  captured  by  the  savages,  and  brought  be 
fore  their  old  sachem  Powhattan,  who  received  him  in 
royal  state.  He  was  seated  on  a  kind  of  royal  throne, 
elevated  above  the  floor  of  a  large  hut,  in  the  midst  of 
which  was  a  fire ;  and  was  clothed  in  a  robe  of  racoon 
skins.  On  each  hand  of  the  sachem  sat  his  daughters, 
two  beautiful  girls ;  and  along  each  side  of  the  house,  a  row 
of  his  counsellors,  painted,  and  adorned  with  feathers  and 
shells.  Upon  the  entrance  of  Smith,  a  great  shout  was 
made ;  water  was  brought  to  wash  his  hands,  and  he  was 
served  with  a  bunch  of  feathers  for  a  towel.  Having 
feasted  him,  after  their  manner,  a  long  consultation  was 
held,  which  being  ended,  two  large  stones  were  brought  in, 
on  one  of  which  his  head  was  laid  and  clubs  were  lifted  up 
to  beat  out  his  brains.  At  this  critical  moment,  Pocahontas, 
a  girl  about  sixteen,  and  the  favourite  daughter  of  the 
sachem,  sprang  from  her  seat  at  her  father's  side,  flew  to 
the  prisoner,  took  his  head  in  her  arms,  and  laid  her  own 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 

upon  it.  Her  tender  entreaties  prevailed ;  the  old  sachem 
consented  that  Smith  should  live  to  make  hatchets  for  him, 
and  ornaments  for  her.  In  1613,  Pocahontas  was  married 
to  John  Rolfe,  an  Englishman  who  soon  after  visited 
England,  with  his  wife,  where  she  publicly  professed  the 
Christian  faith,  was  baptized,  and  died  in  1617,  aged  22, 
leaving  a  son  from  whom  some  of  the  most  respectable 
families  of  Virginia  are  descended. 


POWHATTAN,  THE  EMPEROR. 

With  regard  to  the  character  of  Powhattan  himself, 
generally  styled  emperor,  the  subjection  in  which  he  kept, 
not  only  his  own  subjects,  but  all  the  surrounding  nations, 
must  speak  highly  of  his  political  knowledge.  In  confirma 
tion  of  this,  we  have  the  following  account,  from  an  ancient 
writer.  "  When  he  listeth,  his  will  is  a  law,  and  must  be 
obeyed  :  not  only  as  a  king,  but  as  half  a  god,  they 
esteem  him.  What  he  commandeth  they  dare  not  disobey 
in  the  least  thing.  At  his  feet  they  present  whatsoever  he 
commandeth,  and  at  the  least  frown  of  his  brow,  their 
greatest  spirits  will  tremble  with  fear." 

But  the  native  shrewdness  and  sly  cunning  which  the 
emperor  manifested  in  many  of  his  transactions  with  the 
first  English  settlers  in  Virginia,  prove,  beyond  a  doubt,  that 
his  talents  were  adequate  to  the  unlimited  sway  which  he 
exercised  over  his  countrymen.  There  were,  perhaps,  few  or 
none  of  the  Indian  nations,  who  could  be  considered  equally 
versed  in  military  tactics.  The  warriors  of  Powhattan  are 
said  to  have  been  regularly  disciplined,  insomuch  that,  at  one 
of  their  first  interviews  with  the  English,  during  a  military 
review  for  the  entertainment  of  their  white  guests,  the 
Europeans  declared  their  astonishment  at  the  regularity  of 
their  evolutions  in  this  sham-fight. 

Powhattan  has  evidently  been  misrepresented  by  historians 
viewed  in  different  lights  and  opposite  ways,  but  they  have 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  229 

all  agreed,  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  talents,  while  his 
self-command  and  chivalrous  courtesy  would  do  credit  to  any 
civilized  prince  or  monarch  ;  and  while  some  have  branded 
him  with  the  epithets  of  tyrant  and  barbarian,  these  same 
authors,  as  well  as  others,  acknowledge  that  he  was  a  great 
warrior,  a  statesman,  and  a  patriot.  According  to  the  ex 
cellent  historian,  Burke,  his  title  to  greatness,  though  his  op 
portunities  were  fewer,  is  to  the  full  as  fair  as  that  of 
Tamerlane  or  Kowli  Khan,  and  several  others  whom  history 
has  immortalized  ;  while  the  proofs  of  his  tyranny  are  by  no 
means  so  clear. 


NEW  ENGLAND  INDIANS. 

The  New  England  Indians  may  be  divided  into  several 
confederacies,  which  may  be  reduced  to  five  principal  na 
tions,  the  Pequots  of  the  eastern  part  of  Connecticut,  the 
Narragansetts  of  Rhode  Island,  and  other  islands  to  the 
eastward  of  Connecticut,  the  Pawtucket  tribes  of  New 
Hampshire,  the  Massachusetts  Indians  of  the  bay  of  the 
same  name,  and  the  Pokanokets  of  Bristol  county,  in  Rhode 
Island,  while  some  of  their  tribes  were  also  scattered  around 
Barnstable  and  Plymouth.  Each  of  those  confederacies 
consisted  of  different  tribes  subject  to  one  grand  sachem  or 
king,  and  each  tribe  had  its  respective  chief.  After  the 
settlement  of  Plymouth  by  the  English  in  1620,  we  first 
begin  to  become  acquainted  with  the  Indians  of  New  Eng 
land.  In  the  following  year  Massasoit,  the  sachem  of  the 
Wampanoag  tribe,  belonging  to  the  Pokanoket  confederacy, 
had  an  interview  with  the  Pilgrims,  when  a  treaty  was  con 
cluded  between  himself  and  the  governor  of  the  colony,  the 
articles  of  which  are  as  follow: 

1.  That  neither  he,  (the  governor)  nor  any  of  his  (Mas- 
saso it's)  should  injure  or  do  hurt  to  any  of  their  people. 

2.  That  if  anything  were  taken  away  from  any  of  theirs, 

20 


230  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

he  should  cause  it  to  be  restored,  and  they  should  do  the 
like  to  his. 

3.  That  if  any  of  his  did  any  hurt  to  any  of  theirs,  he 
should  send  the  offender  that  they  might  punish  him. 

4.  That  if  any  did  unjustly  war  against  him,  they  would 
aid  him,  and  if  any  did  war  against  them,  he  should  aid 
them. 

5.  That  he  should  send  to  his  neighbour  confederates,  to 
inform  them  of  this,  that  they  might  not  wrong  them,  but 
might  be  likewise  comprised  in  these  conditions  of  peace. 

6.  That  when  his  came  to  them  upon  any  occasion,  they 
should  leave  their  arms  behind  them. 

7.  That  by  so  doing,  their  sovereign  lord,  King  James, 
would  esteem  him  as  his  friend  and  ally. 

To  the  credit  of  Massasoit  and  the  Wampanoagas,  histo 
rians  assure  us  that  those  honest  Indians  did  not  violate  any 
of  the  provisions  of  that  treaty  for  fifty  years,  which,  no 
ioubt,  must  be  attributed  to  the  amicable  disposition  of 
Massasoit.  The  colonists,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  too  true, 
were  not  equally  faithful  in  its  fulfilment.  As  they  increas 
ed  and  grew  strong,  many  were  the  outrages  which  they 
committed  on  the  good  natured  Wampanoagas,  their  best 
friends,  when  they  were  helpless,  weak,  and  few,  on  a  for 
eign  shore.  The  Massachusetts  and  Narragansett's  Indi 
ans  were  not  so  quiet  nor  so  friendly  ;  as  we  see  that  the 
sachem  of  the  latter  sent  to  the  colony,  as  early  as  1622, 
his  compliments  in  the  shape  of  a  bundle  of  arrows,  tied  up 
with  a  rattle  snake's  skin. 

About  the  first  negotiation  of  the  pilgrims  with  the 
Indians  of  New  England,  an  immense  tract  of  country  was 
transferred  or  sold  to  the  colonists  for  the  trifling  sum  of  a 
pair  of  knives,  and  a  copper  chain  with  a  jewel  in  it  for 
the  grand  sachem ;  and  a  knife  and  a  jewel  to  hang  in  his 
ear,  a  pot  of  strong  water,  and  a  quantity  of  biscuit.  In 
this  manner  have  the  poor  Indians  been  robbed  of  their  own 
country  for  toys  and  baubles  and  strong  water.  We  may 
censure  our  forefathers  for  such  acts  of  dishonesty ;  but  is 
not  this  disgraceful  system  of  robbery  carried  on  to  the 
present  day  1 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  231 


MASSASOIT,  SACHEM  01'  THE  POKANOKET  CONFEDERACY. 

This  great  and  wise  chieftain,  unlike  many  other  Indian 
commanders,  was  always  on  the  side  of  peace,  not  only 
with  the  whites  but  even  with  other  hostile  Indian  tribes. 
He  was  brave,  it  is  true,  when  occasion  required  him  to  be 
so,  but  as  long  as  his  own  territories  were  not  molested,  or 
invaded  he  saw  no  reason  why  he  should  trouble  others. 
The  colonists,  very  prudently,  gave  him  but  little  vexation  ; 
and  it  was  after  his  death  that  their  avarice,  ambition,  in 
solence  and  cruelty,  began  to  excite  the  jealousy,  ill  feeling, 
and  disaffection  of  his  countrymen.  He  foresaw,  doubtless, 
that  the  whites  would  soon  become  powerful,  and  that  all 
the  injuries  which  he  might  inflict  on  them  at  that  time, 
would  sooner  or  later  be  avenged,  perhaps  in  the  total  ex 
termination  of  his  tribe.  If  he  had  predicted  so,  he  pro 
phesied  rightly ;  as  was  the  case  with  the  Pequots,  who  were 
almost  exterminated  in  1637.  But  how  many  other  tribes 
have  nearly  disappeared  in  like  manner  from  the  face  of 
the  country,  by  perpetual  contentions  among  themselves  as 
well  as  by  the  sword  and  musket  of  the  whites  ?  Be  this, 
however,  as  it  may,  this  sachem  was  naturally  possessed  of 
some  excellent  qualities,  which  can  seldom  be  found  among 
his  superiors  in  education  and  refinement.  No  better  proof 
of  his  fidelity  and  attachment  to  the  whites,  of  his  compas 
sionate  spirit,  and  m  .ignanimity  of  soul,  can  be  adduced,  than 
his  conduct  toward  ^the  colonists  shortly  after  their  settlement 
at  Plymouth,  wh  en  he  provided  them  with  provisions,  and 
protected  them,  while,  with  the  exception  of  six  or  seven, 
they  were  all  reduced  to  a  most  desperate  state  by  sickness, 
so  that  they  were  unable  to  help  themselves  in  any  way. 
In  fine,  we  may  safely  assert,  that  the  friendship  and 
fidelity  of  Massasoit,  were  alone  the  means  of  saving  the 
colonists  from  utter  destruction.  His  name  should  ever  be 
revered,  even  by  those  who  most  despise  the  savage  Indian. 


232  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

ALEXANDER*  THE  ELDEST  SON  OF  MASSASOIT. 

We  have  very  little  to  say  concerning  the  character  of 
this  sachem,  who  succeded  to  the  government  of  the  Pokano- 
ket  confederacy  on  the  death  of  his  father.  The  extraordinary 
manner  in  which  he  came  to  his  death  certainly  deserves 
notice ;  but  in  whatever  way  we  view  it,  the  colonists  of 
New  England  seem  to  have  an  indelible  stain  on  their 
character.  Were  he  any  other  man,  but  the  son  of  Massa- 
soit,  who  for  about  half  a  century  defended  and  protected 
them  against  the  neighboring  tribes,  our  surprise  should  not 
be  so  great.  Some  historians  have  endeavoured  to  hold 
this  disgraceful  affair  in  a  light  that  would  reflect  no  dis 
credit  on  the  colonists,  while  others  who  have  recorded  it, 
place  very  little  confidence  in  the  humanity  of  the  New  Eng- 
landers.  That  he  was  murdered  by  them,  on  mere  suspicion 
of  having  attempted  to  rebel  against  them,  is  a  fact  which 
cannot  be  contradicted.  The  facts  are  as  follow : 

The  Plymouth  government,  on  hearing  certain  idle 
rumors  from  Boston,  tending  to  show  that  the  sachem 
Alexander  had  solicited  the  Narragansets  to  join  him  in 
taking  up  arms  against  the  colony,  despatched  Mr.  Winslow 
with  ten  armed  men  to  Sowaws  to  capture  him.  In  this 
expedition,  it  is  said,  he  succeeded,  after  having  first 
seized  the  arms  of  the  sachem's  attendants.  Having 
threatened  him  with  instant  death,  if  he  refused,  Alexander 
reluctantly  obeyed.  There  have  been  n.any  reports  respect 
ing  the  ill  treatment  which  he  received  on  the  way,  but 
whether  his  usage  was  good  or  bad,  it  signifies  nought,  for 
he  lost  his  life  by  some  foul  means.  Two  days  after  he  was 
dragged  away  from  his  family,  his  lifeless  corpse  was  car 
ried  home  on  the  shoulders  of  his  warriors.  Thus  ended  the 
mortal  career  of  the  son  of  Massasoit,  the  best  friend  the 
New  England  colonists  ever  had.  As  long  as  nothing  was 
proved  against  him,  the  colonists  have  done  their  character 
an  immortal  injury  by  this  one  act  alone. 

*  In  the  Indian,  he  was  called  Moamam  or  Mamsutta. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  233 


KING  PHILIP. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  celebrated  of  all  the  emperors, 
kings,  and  sachems  of  North  America.  King  Philip,  as  he 
was,  indeed,  very  appropriately  styled,  succeeded  his  elder 
brother,  the  unfortunate  Alexander,  whose  untimely  and 
mysterious  death  caused  the  most  violent  emotions  of  sorrow 
in  the  deep  recesses  of  Philip's  breast.  He  concealed  them, 
it  is  true,  for  it  was  dangerous  to  express  them ;  still  he 
expected  the  day  should  soon  arrive,  when  he  could  avenge 
himself  of  all  the  wrongs  which  were  daily  inflicted  on  his 
nation.  On  the  most  groundless  suspicion  and  the  most 
frivolous  report,  Philips  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
court  at  Plymouth  to  render  an  account  of  himself.  As 
they  could  not  however  support  their  charges,  he  was  then 
almost  compelled  to  sign  treaties  of  submission  and  grant 
lands,  until  he  saw  it  was  high  time  to  adopt  some  plan 
for  destroying  or  expelling  the  English  from  those  prov 
inces.  We  must  not  be  understood  as  speaking  with  the 
least  partiality  for  King  Philip,  as  we  shall  advance  nothing 
more  than  what  we  are  told  in  history  as  well  as  in  the 
records  of  the  Plymouth  colony.  The  territories  of  Philip 
were  rapidly  diminishing,  while  the  whites  were  constantly 
.increasing,  and,  consequently,  his  enemies  were  accumulating 
strength.  Their  haughty  conduct  towards  him  indicated 
nothing  less  than  a  desire  to  go  to  war  and  exterminate 
himself  and  his  race,  the  Wampanoagas.  Those  faithful 
allies,  who  never  broke  their  word  for  more  than  forty 
years.  This  ungrateful  breach  of  promise  on  the  part  of  the 
colony  could  not  but  exasperate  the  spirit  of  such  a  genius 
as  King  Philip. 

In  the  mean  time,. while  these  things  were  going  on, 
Philip  was  secretly  and  busily  engaged  in  reconciling 
hostile  tribes  and  uniting  them  for  one  common  project, 
which  he  assured  them,  would  be  attended  with  universal 
blessing  to  all  who  would  assist  him. 

He  conducted   the   whole  of  this   conspiracy   with  the 


234  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

greatest  caution,  prudence  and  silence,  and  we  may  easily 
perceive  that  he  was  a  man  of  no  ordinary  talents,  when 
his  plans  were  successfully  progressing  for  years,  even 
among  tribes  who  had  hitherto  been  inimical  to  Philip,  not 
only  to  him,  but  even  to  each  other.  The  first  discovery  of 
his  plot,  is  generally  attributed  to  his  secretary,  John 
Sassamon.  This  individual  who  is  so  conspicuous  in  the 
history  of  New  England  was  an  Indian,  converted  to 
Christianity,  and  educated  among  the  whites.  Having  as 
they  say,  renounced  his  new  religion,  he  betook  himself 
among  the  Indians,  and  became  the  secretary  of  King 
Philip ;  but  deserted  him  through  the  importunities  of  the 
whites,  at  which  interference,  the  king  was  greatly  enraged, 
knowing,  no  doubt,  that  Sassamon  would  soon  divulge  all 
the  secrets  to  which  he  was  privy,  and  which  from  every  ap- 
perance  he  did,  for  King  Pnilip  was,  shortly  after  this,  com 
manded  to  appear  before  the  court  of  justice  at  Plymouth. 
They  could  not,  however,  prove  charges.  The  whites  were 
now  becoming  more  suspicious  every  day,  and  their  suspi 
cions,  might,  indeed,  be  well  founded.  Amid  all  these 
jealousies  on  both  sides,  Sassamon  disappeared ;  and  in 
a  few  days  his  dead  body  was  found  in  a  pond.  Three 
Pokanoket  Indians  were  immediately  seized  by  the  Plymouth 
government,  tried  and  executed  for  the  murder,  on  a  very 
doubtful  evidence  of  one  man.  Hence  arose  open  hos 
tilities. 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  WAR. 

From  the  date  of  the  execution  of  the  above  mentioned 
Indians,  the  Pokanokets  appeared  to  be  utterly  ungovernable, 
while  Philip,  who  understood  and  saw  every  thing  far  and 
near,  was  sorely  grieved  at  the  sudden  and  unexpected 
muster  of  his  young  warriors  at  Mount  Hope  in  1675.  He 
was  not,  however,  less  intent  on  revenge,  than  any  of  his 
countrymen ;  but  he  awaited  the  maturity  of  his  plans,  as 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  235 

well  as  the  alliance  and  allegiance  of  many  other  tribes 
whose  friendship  he  had  been  so  long  courting  and  solicit 
ing.  Let  the  blame  be  where  it  may,  an  Englishman  was  the 
first  who  commenced  hostilities,  by  discharging  his  musket 
at  one  of  the  Indians  and  wound'ng  him.  Whatever  might 
have  been  the  former  policy  of  Philip,  he  was  now  inevit 
ably  involved  in  the  bloody  war  which  ensued,  and  which 
he  certainly  meditated,  conceived,  and  planned,  but  not  at 
that  unfavourable  juncture.  His  sagacity  and  foresight  wTell 
knew  that  the  undertaking  of  a  war  at  that  time,  when  his 
newly  formed  allies  were  not  aware  of  it,  and  when  even 
his  own  more  sober  subjects  did  not  approve  of  it,  must  be 
rash  and  dangerous.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  result  of  the  war, 
which,  after  having  lasted  for  more  than  one  year,  ended  in 
the  death  of  Philip  and  almost  the  extermination  of  the  New 
England  Indians.  The  Narragansetts,  the  Indians  on  the 
Connecticut  River  and  the  Niprnucks  who  joined  him,  suf 
fered  most  severely,  having,  perhaps,  lost  on  each  side  nearly 
1000  men.  The  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts  governments 
combined  and  raised  as  strong  a  force  as  the  state  of  the 
colonies  would  permit.  Captain  Church  was  the  most  dis 
tinguished  officer  on  the  English  side ;  and,  if  we  believe 
his  own  account,  he  committed  the  most  savage  brutalities 
and  cruelties  on  the  poor  Indians  whom  they  dragged  and 
forced  to  take  up  arms.  As  the  Indians  cannot  speak  for 
themselves  and  tell  their  own  story,  we  can  only  draw  in 
ferences  from  what  the  English  have  recorded  of  themselves. 
From  June  and  October  of  1676,  this  gallant  Captain  Church 
slaughtered  from  700  to  1000  Indians,  while  most  of  those 
who  were  captured,  were  sent  out  of  the  country  and  sold 
for  slaves.  . 

It  is  needless  for  us  to  enter  into  a  detairof  this  war, 
which  has  been  so  often  and  so  minutely  described  by  those 
who  made  it  the  subject  of  their  treatise.  Philip  and  the 
warriors  under  his  command  fought  most  bravely,  but  they 
were  inferior  in  numbers,  arms  and  ammunition.  More  In 
dians,  it  is  said,  perished  by  disease  and  famine,  than  by 
the  sword  of  the  enemy.  They  were  frequently  driven  into 


236         .  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

swamps,  where  nourishment  could  not  be  procured ;  hence 
sickness  and  starvation.  Philip  himself  was  a  hundred 
times  on  the  eve  of  being  captured  and  killed,  but,  as  the 
English  assert,  he  was  always  foremost  'in  the  flight,  when 
resistance  was  of  no  avail.  As  a  warrior  he  is  allowed  to 
have  no  equal,  either  in  courage  or  tactics.  His  most  pre 
judiced  enemies  among  the  English,  acknowledge  his  gen 
erosity  and  humanity  to  his  prisoners  of  war  ;  and,  indeed 
Philip  has  not  been  considered  as  a  mere  barbarian  in  his 
feelings,  for  he  manifested  the  most  ample  proofs  of  an 
exalted  mind.  His  mode  of  living  was  certainly  savage, 
but  we  cannot  infer  from  that  circumstance  that  his  own 
manners  and  sentiments  were  barbarous. 

Where  is  the  patriot  of  the  present  day,  who  would  not 
do  what  Philip  did,  if  he  saw  his  own  countrymen  sold  as 
slaves  abroad,  or  tortured  and  hanged  at  home,  as  the  En 
glish  served  the  Pokanokets  1  If,  after  the  commencement 
of  hostilities,  he  resisted  his  enemies  to  the  last,  and  killed 
whenever  he  could,  it  was  only  acting  in  self  defence,  to 
make  the  worst  of  it.  As  long  as  the  English  were  the 
aggressors,  they  were  then,  of  course,  the  cause  of  all  the 
calamities  which  followed.  His  father  Massasoit,  and  his 
ill  fated  brother  Alexander  were  merely  allies  and  not  sub 
jects  to  the  English,  as  their  treaties  can  prove;  and  Philip 
very  rightly  contended  that  he  should  be  equally  independ 
ent.  There  wras,  however,  a  great  change  in  the  affairs  of 
the  colony,  since  the  time  of  Massasoit  to  that  of  Philip. 
The  colonists  are  now  strong,  numerous  and  ambitious. 
They  want  no  more  the  alliance  of  an  Indian  chief,  but  his 
allegiance,  and  with  this  policy  they  acted  towards  Philip, 
who  preferr^l  the  war  dance  to  the  humiliating  terms 
which  they  proposed  to  him. 

We  come  now  to  his  death,  which  he  so  often  evaded, 
even  when  he  was  chased  and  fired  on,  without  either  a  tribe, 
or  a  single  companion.  At  his  last  hour,  however,  he  was 
surrounded  by  a  faithful  band  of  followers,  whom  he  advised 
to  desert  him,  as  he  foresaw  from  his  dream  the  night 
previous,  that  his  end  was  at  hand.  In  a  few  minutes  after- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  237 

wards  he  was  surprised  by  the  English,  and  shot  through 
the  heart.  This  brief  sketch  of  that  great  man  who  shall 
ever  live  in  the  history  of  America,  is  far  from  being 
sufficient  to  give  the  reader  a  correct  idea  of  his  real 
character.  He  was  persecuted  even  unto  death,  for  two 
cowardly  ruffians  fired  at  him  twice,  while  he  was  lying 
down  carelessly  in  a  swamp,  musing  in  deep  silence  and 
sorrow,  over  the  misfortunes  which  had  befallen  himself  and 
his  nation  through  the  treachery  of  the  white  man,  whom 
his  father  and  brother  protected  in  their  infancy  and  pov 
erty,  when  they  were  attacked  by  famine  and  sickness. 

We  shall  now  conclude  this  brief  article,  by  mentioning 
the  fate  of  his  son.  His  boy  was  only  nine  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  sold  as  a  slave.  He  was  destined  to  be  sent 
to  Bermuda  ;  but  some  scruples  having  arisen  among  some 
members  of  the  government,  they  consulted  their  pious 
clergymen,  as  to  what  course  they  should  pursue.  A  Mr. 
Cotton  gave  as  his  opinion  that  he  should  be  put  to  death, 
on  the  ground,  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  rebel.  Dr.  Mather 
supported  the  same  opinion,  but  as  there  was  a  little  more 
humanity  in  the  government,  the  child  was  spared.  Finally, 
we  have  only  to  say  on  this  point,  that  the  present  enlight 
ened  people  of  Massachussets,  distinguished  as  they  certain 
ly  are  for  their  generosity,  humanity  and  refinement,  would 
be  the  last  in  our  opinion  to  persecute  a.  Red  Man  or 
violate  a  treaty  with  another  Philip. 


THE  NARRAGANSETTS. 

As  we  have  already  said,  this  nation  or  confederacy  in 
habited  a  part  of  Rhode  Island,  and  the  islands  bf  the  bay 
called  after  them.  Besides,  there  were  many  other  tribes 
tributary  or  subject  to  them.  They  could,  without  a  doubt, 
bring  two  or  three  thousand  warriors  to  the  field.  They 
were  usually  the  inveterate  enemies  of  the  Pokanokets; 
but  through  the  influence  of  Philip,  they  buried  the  hatchet 


238  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

and  became  his  best  supporters  and  his  most  powerful  allies. 
There  has  been  some  misunderstanding  among  annalists  and 
historians  respecting  their  chief  sachem  at  the  time  of  the 
English  settlement  in  that  country.  The  most  rational 
conclusion  that  we  can  come  to,  is,  that  Canonicus,  the 
elder  prince,  associated  with  him  in  the  government,  Mian- 
tonomo,  his  nephew;  the  former,  being  advanced  in  years, 
and  unable  to  superintend  the  affairs  of  their  extensive 
territories.  That  they  both  ruled  jointly,  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe.  Of  this  we  are  assured  by  Roger 
Williams,  so  well  knowTn  in  the  early  history  of  New 
England.  This  gentleman,  on  account  of  his  religious  prin 
ciples  was  persecuted,  both  by  the  government  of  Plymouth 
and  Massachussets ;  Mr.  Williams  therefore  crossed  over 
among  the  Narragansetts,  and,  as  he  himself  acknowledges, 
Canonicus,  not  only  received  him  with  with  kindness,  but 
granted  himself  and  followers  from  Salem,  a  considerable 
portion  of  land,  where  they  might  worship  their  God  as 
they  pleased.  These  were  certainly  strange  proceedings, 
on  the  part  of  people,  who,  in  order  to  enjoy  liberty  of 
conscience,  left  their  native  country,  and  landed  as  pilgrims 
on  the  Plymouth  rocks. 

The  Narragansetts  were  always  jealous  of  the  English 
colony  ;  still,  Williams  and  his  disciples  received  the  hand 
of  friendship  from  the  rulers.  On  one  occasion,  Canonicus 
sent  a  messenger  to  Plymouth,  with  a  bundle  of  arrows, 
enclosed  in  a  rattle-snake's  skin,  the  customary  challenge 
to  war.  In  reply  the  Plymouth  governor  returned  the  same 
skin  containing  gunpowder  and  bullets.  The  Indian  chief 
tain,  no  doubt,  dreading  even  to  handle  this  strange  and 
complimentary  present,declined  to  have  any  thing  at  all  to 
do  with  it ;  so  he  ordered  the  powder  and  balls  to  be  taken 
immediately  back  to  Plymouth.  Canonicus,  having  previ 
ously  witnessed  the  effects  of  gunpowder,  came  to  the  con 
clusion,  that  bows  and  arrows  were  helpless  weapons 
against  what  the  Indians  called  the  "  anger  of  the  Great 
Spirit."  After  the  combined  forces  of  the  English  and  the 
Narragansetts  had  completely  defeated  the  Pequots,  in  1638, 


NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS.  239 

it  was  covenanted  that  the  Mohegans  and  the  Narragan- 
setts  should  make  peace,  and  bury  in  oblivion  all  their  former 
animosities.  At  this  time  Miantonomo,  the  royal  associate 
of  Canonicus,  appears  as  the  principal  leader  of  the  Nar- 
ragansetts.  Uncas  was  the  chief  of  the  Mohegans,  who 
are  said  to  have  been  a  branch  of  the  Pequots.  Owing  to 
this  connexion,  and  the  rivalry  between  Uncas  and  Mian 
tonomo,  the  treaty  was  violated  by  the  latter.  After  seve 
ral  unsuccessful  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  Narra- 
gansett  chief  to  take  the  life  of  Uncas,  by  hiring  even  some 
of  the  Mohegan  and  Pequot  tribe  to  do  it,  he  resolved  to 
invade  his  country.  Having  raised  about  1000  warriors, 
he  inarched  into  the  territories  of  Uncas,  who,  on  hearing 
his.  approach,  prepared  himself  for  the  attack,  and  went  out 
to  meet  him  with  500  men.  Having  encountered  each 
other,  Uncas  defeated  his  adversary  by  stratagem  and  led 
him  captive  to  the  Mohegan  country.  He  carried  his 
prisoners  to  Hartford  and  laid  the  whole  affair  before  the 
magistrates.  As  the  English  and  Mohegans  were  leagued 
together,  they  advised  Uncas  to  put  Miantonomo  to  death, 
because  they  considered  that  the  life  of  Uncas  could  not 
be  safe  as  long  as  Miantonomo  lived.  Uncas,  accordingly, 
marched  off  with  his  royal  captive  to  the  very  spot  where 
he  had  made  him  prisoner.  Immediately,  on  arriving  at 
that  place,  a  Mohegan  came  behind  Miantonomo  and  split 
his  head  with  an  axe.  This  was  undoubtedly  a  refined 
advice  on  the  part  of  the  civilized  and  religious  pilgrims. 
To  despatch  a  man  from  behind  without  a  moment's 
warning,  speaks  highly  of  those  religious  times.  Governor 
Hopins,  the  learned  and  eminent  patriot,  speaks  in  the 
following  terms  of  this  disgraceful  tragedy. 

"  This  was  the  end  of  Miantonomo,  the  most  potent 
Indian  prince  the  people  of  New  England  had  ever  any 
concern  with ;  and  this  was  the  reward  he  received  for 
assisting  them  seven  years  before,  in  their  war  with  the 
Pequots.  Surely  a  Rhode  Island  man  may  be  permitted  to 
mourn  his  unhappy  fate,  and  drop  a  tear  on  the  ashes  of 
Miantonomo;  who,  with  his  uncle  Canonicus,  were  the  best 


240  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

friends  and  greatest  benefactors  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island 
ever  had.  They  kindly  received,  fed,  and  protected  the 
first  settlers  of  it,  when  they  were  in  distress,  and  were 
strangers  and  exiles,  and  all  mankind  else  their  enemies ; 
and  by  this  kindness  to  them  drew  upon  themselves  the 
resentment  of  the  neighbouring  colonies,  and  hastened  the 
untimely  end  of  the  young  king." 


THE  PEQUOTS. 

This  was  another  numerous  and  powerful  nation,  inhabit 
ing  principally  that  part  of  Connecticut  where  New  London 
now  stands.  The  Nipmucks  to  the  north  of  them,  as  well 
as  many  other  tribes,  were  tributary  to  them.  Among  all  the 
nations  of  New  England,  the  Pequots  are  said  to  have  been 
able  to  bring  more  warriors  to  the  field,  than  any  other.  The 
number  of  4000  men  is  no  small  or  inconsiderable  force, 
everi  at  the  present  day ;  still  that  confederacy  mustered  on 
one'  occasion  as  many.  It  would  have  been  a  strange  and 
terrific  sight  to  a'  European,  on  his  first  arrival  on  this 
continent,  to  witness  four  or  five  thousand  of  those  savages 
dance  the  war  dance,  yelling  out  the  war  whoops,  and  attired 
at  the  same  time  in  their  barbarous  costume,  and  having  their 
visage  disfigured  with  a  variety  of  paints,  and  their  heads 
ornamented  with  a  crown  of  plumage  of  various  colours. 
Their  appearance  certainly  indicated  nothing  less  than  the 
height  and  extremes  of  barbarity.  In  time  of  peace, 
however,  the  Indians  were  to  be  considered  in  a  different  light. 
They  were  often  found  to  be  honest,  intelligent,  magnani 
mous,  faithful,  and  generous.  The  present  mode  of  warfare 
practised  by  the  most  refined  nations  in  the  world  is 
equally  barbarous,  and  in  our  opinion  more  so.  The  Indians 
knew  nothing  better  than  to  take  life;  and,  indeed,  their 
religion  taught  them  that  it  was  highly  meritorious  and 
pleasing  to  the  Great  Spirit.  Our  religion,  on  the  contra 
ry,  condemns  the  shedding  of  blood,  even  of  our  enemies; 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  241 

and  still  we,  with  our  powder  and  ball,  destroy  more  lives 
in  one  day,  than  almost  all  the  Indians  of  New  England 
could  do  in  one  century.  Thus  far  we  have  deviated  from 
our  subject,  which  we  must  now  resume. 

When  the  Pequots  were  in  their  power  and  glory,  the 
Narragansetts  alone  would  dare  resist  them,  and  between 
the  two  nations  the  most  bloody  battles  were  fought.  The 
Narragansetts  were  scarcely  or  never  able  to  defeat  them 
until  the  English,  under  Mason,  joined  the  former ;  then,  and 
not  till  then,  the  Pequots  were  subdued  and  vanquished. 
The  first  Pequot  sachem  with  whom  the  English  became 
acquainted  was  Pekoath,  a  warrior  of  great  renown;  the 
next  was  Sassacus,  another  great  warrior.  These  two,  are 
said,  by  historians,  to  have  always  borne  the  most  inveterate 
hatred  against  Europeans.  Whether  the  whites  had  given 
the  Pequots  any  reasonable  grounds  for  this  animosity,  it 
is  hard  to  say ;  but,  we  may  reasonably  suppose  that  they 
abused  the  friendship  of  the  Pequots  as  well  as  that  of  all 
the  other  Indian  nations  with  whom  they  had  any  inter 
course  or  dealing.  As  the  English  were  going  on  conquer 
ing  and  exterminating  the  Red  Men  all  around  them,  the 
Plymouth  government,  that  of  Massachusetts  and  Connec 
ticut,  aided  by  the  Narragansetts,  under  the  noted  Mason, 
completed  the  final  subjugation  of  the  Pequots.  They  burned 
sixty  or  seventy  Indian  villages,  with  their,  women  and 
children  who  had  no  time,  nor  even  the  possibility  of  esca 
ping.  This  scene  of  slaughter,  carnage,  and  burning  alive 
helpless  women  and  babes,  is  described  by  the  English 
themselves  as  horrid  and  dreadful;  still  these  civilized  and 
pious  men  delight  in  handing  down  to  posterity  their  exe 
crable  deeds. 

Sassacus,  was  at  last  compelled  to  take  refuge  among  the 
Mohawks  with  a  few  followers.  Thus  has  an  independent 
warrior  wandered  for  weeks  and  months,  alone  in  the 
swamps  of  Connecticut,  exhausted,  desolate,  and  at  last  so 
desperate,  that  his  life  was  a  burden  to  him.  In  place  of 
being  protected  among  the  Mohawks  he  and  a  few  warriors 
21 


242  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

who  followed  him,  were  put  to  death  on  account  of  former 
hostilities. 


PAWTUCKETS. 

We  shall  now  proceed  with  a  short  notice  of  this 
confederacy  and  their  grand  sachem  Passaconaway.  This 
veteran,  for  such  we  may  call  him,  having  been  far  advanced 
in  years  when  the  English  first  knew  him,  is  generally 
said  to  have  died  at  the  extreme  old  age  of  120  years. 
This  chieftain  was  known  among  tlie  Indians,  as  the  "  Great 
sagamore  of  Pannuhog,"  or  Penacook,  which  was  the 
original  name  of  an  Indian  tribe  in  what  is  now  called  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire.  It  seems,  however,  that  he  had 
many  tribes  subject  to  him,  some  in  New  Hampshire  and 
some  in  the  present  state  of  Massachusetts.  He  resided 
sometimes  on  the  Merrimack  River  which  flows  through 
New  Hampshire,  through  a  part  of  Massachusetts,  into  the 
Atlantic ;  hence  he  has  been  frequently  styled  by  the  early 
historians  of  New  England,  the  chief  sachem  of  Merrimack. 
Pawtucket,  however,  was  the  national  name  of  all  the  con 
federates.  About  1642  the  most  summary  measures  were 
taken  by  the  Massachusetts  government  to  disarm  the  great 
sagamore  of  Pannuhog,  for  no  other  reason,  than  the  idle  re 
port  that  the  Indians  of  the  country  had  conspired  against 
the  life  of  the  English,  for  which  there  was  not  the  least 
foundation,  as  they  afterwards  discovered  to  their  shame. 
Not  being  able  to  arrest  him,  they  dragged  his  son,  a 
squaw  and  her  child  to  Boston  and  imprisoned  them.  His 
son  however  escaped  from  them,  but  not  until  they  had* 
fired  on  him.  Some  historians  find  great  fault  with  those 
sages  of  New  England  for  this  extraordinary  proceeding 
against  Passaconaway,  wTho  had  hitherto  been  friendly  to 
the  English,  and  moreover,  who  had  maintained  his  inde 
pendence.  The  New  Englanders,  have  had,  of  course,  advo 
cates  to  apologise  for  this  rash  conduct  and  the  like,  by  a 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  243 

reference  to  the  excitement  of  the  times  in  which  they 
lived,  but  this  excitement  should  never  induce  them  to 
declare  war  against,  and  exterminate  a  friendly  and  inof 
fensive  people.  This  plea  will  not  satisfy  modern  poli 
ticians. 

The  sagacity  and  self  command  of  this  grand  sagamore 
overlooked  the  ill  treatment  which  he  and  his  family  had 
received  from  the  English ;  and  they  were  soon  perfectly 
reconciled.  His  conversion  to  Christianity  has  often  been 
questioned,  while  others  affirm  it  as  a  positive  fact. 
Whatever  might  have  been  his  own  belief,  it  is  true,  how 
ever,  that  he  was  friendly  to  that  religion.  Passaconaway 
has  been  represented  as  the  greatest  conjuror  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.  He  excelled  in  the  arts  of  legerdemain  so 
much,  that  the  Indians  believed  he  could  make  water  burn, 
trees  dance,  metamorphose  himself  into  a  flame,  raise  in 
winter  a  green  leaf  from  a  dry  one,  and  a  living  serpent 
from  the  skin  of  one  which  was  dead.  In  one  of  his  last 
speeches,  he  cautioned  the  Indians  not  to  quarrel  with  the 
English.  Without  detailing  the  different  good  qualities  of 
the  grand  sagamore  of  Penacook,  we  may  class  him  among 
the  first  warriors  and  statesmen  of  the  Indian  race. 


FIVE  NATIONS,  AFTERWARDS  THE  SIX  NATIONS. 

This  confederacy,  commonly  called  by  the  English,  the 
Five  Nations,  consisted  originally,  or  when  first  known  to 
Europeans,  of  the  Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  the  Cayugas,  the 
Onondagas  and  the  Senecas.  In  the  process  of  time,  how 
ever,  they  were  joined  by  the  Tuscaroras ;  and  from  that 
period  they  were  known  as  the  Six  Nations.  Among  the 
French  they  had  the  appellation  of  Iroquois,  among  the 
Dutch,  that  of  Maquas,  but  by  the  Indians  of  Virginia,  they 
were  generally  called  Massawomekes,  and  by  themselves 
Mingoes.  According  to  Smith  as  well  as  Morse,  each  na 
tion  of  the  Iroquois,  otherwise  the  Five  or  Six  Nations,  was 


244 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


divided  into  three  families  of  different  ranks,  bearing  for 
their  arms,  and  being  distinguished  by  the  names  of  the 
Tortoise,  the  Bear,  and  the  Wolf.  Their  instruments  of 
conveyances  were  signed  by  signatures,  which  they  made 
with  a  pen,  representing  the  figures  of  those  animals. 
Hence  there  appears  to  have  been  three  orders  of  state 
among  them.  When  the  Dutch  began  the  settlement  of 
New-York,  all  the  Indians  on  Long  Island  and  the  northern 
shore  of  the  Sound,  on  the  banks  of  Connecticut  River, 
Hudson,  Delaware,  and  Susquehannah  Rivers,  were  in  sub 
jection  to  the  Five  Nations,  and  acknowledged  it  by  paying 
tribute  to  them  annually.  In  the  war  with  Great  Britain 
these  nations  (inhabiting  the  northern  and  western  parts  of 
New-York)  were  allies  of  that  power;  and  in  1779  they 
were  entirely  defeated  by  the  American  troops,  and  their 
towns  all  destroyed.  The  Mohawks  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  Cayugas  have  removed  into  Canada.  The  residue 
now  live  on  grounds  called  the  State  Reservations;  the 
state  of  New-York  having  taken  these  Indians  under  its 
protection. 

At  the  time  of  the  French  settlement  in  Canada,  the  Five 
Nations  were  the  proprietors  of  that  territory  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  where  Montreal  now  stands,  which  pe 
riod  was  about  the  year  1603.  When  the  French  became 
acquainted  with  them,  they  were  engaged  in  a  desperate 
war  with  another  nation,  called  the  Adirondacks.  With 
out  alluding  here  to  the  various  victories  which  the  one 
nation  obtained  over  the  other  during  a  long  struggle,  it 
may  suffice  to  say,  that  the  most  bloody  battles  were  fought 
between  them  with  alternate  success,  until  the  brave  Adi 
rondacks  were  completely  overthrown  by  the  Iroquois. 
One  victory  followed  the  other,  and  the  Iroquois  or  Five 
Nations  swept  every  thing  before  them.  The  Eries  inhab 
iting  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  the  Anderstez,  the  Show- 
anous,  the  Hurons  and  Ottawas,  of  the  upper  Mississippi, 
the  Illinois  of  the  west,  with  the  Miaraies  and  Shawanees 
were  totally  subdued  by  them.*  Such  was  the  terror  which 
the  Mohawk  name  spread  abroad,  that  from  east  to  west, 


NORTH   AMEU1CAN    INDIANS.  245 

from  north  to  south,  almost  all  the  tribes  of  Indians  who 
heard  of  the  victorious  career  of  the  Iroquois,  dreaded  the 
approach  of  so  dangerous  a  foe. 

As  the  character  of  the  Five  Nations  has  already  been 
given,  it  is  needless  for  us  to  say  much  more  concerning 
that  powerful  confederacy,  whose  oratory  and  martial  dis 
position  should  ever  immortalize  them  among  the  other  rude 
tribes  of  North  America ;  it  is  to  be  sincerely  regretted  that 
those  unfortunate  people  had  not  experienced  a  different 
treatment  from  their  first  white  visitors  from  Europe,  who 
in  place  of  coming  with  the  mild  and  conciliatory  spirit  of 
Christianity,  came  as  wolves  and  devouring  lions  to  kill  and 
exterminate  the  simple  and  ignorant  natives  of  America, 
who  might  otherwise  with  the  help  of  civilization  and  re 
ligion,  be  ranked  among  the  other  refined  nations  of  the 
earth. 


LOGAN. 

As  the  immortal  Logan  was  a  chief  of  the  Six  Nations, 
we  shall  not  proceed  farther,  without  noticing  a  man  so 
famous  in  American  history.  The  Cayugas  having  been 
one  of  the  Six  Nations  that  formed  that  powerful  confede 
racy,  that  swept  every  thing  before  them,  like  a  torrent 
rushing  from  the  mountain  top,  Logan  is  generally  styled 
the  Cayuga  chief.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Shikellimus, 
whom  Heckewelder  represents,  as  a  respectable  chief  of 
the  Six  Nations,  who  resided  at  Shamokin,  (Pennsylvania) 
as  an  agent,  to  transact  business  between  them  and  the 
government  of  the  state. 

We  first  became  acquainted  with  Logan  through  the  Mo 
ravian  missionaries,  whom  his  father  invited  to  settle  in  his 
own  vicinity.  They  describe  him  as  an  hospitable,  shrewd 
and  temperate  man,  never  taking  part  with  the  riots,  and 
quarrels  of  the  other  Indians.  Shikellimus  was  a  convert 
to  Christianity,  in  which  he  firmly  believer],  according  to 
21* 


246  ORIGIN    Ot    THE 

the  Moravian  missionaries.  "  In  the  year  1749,"  says  Los- 
kiel,  "  he  fell  happily  asleep  in  the  Lord." 

Our  notice  of  Logan  must,  inevitably,  be  short.  His  po 
litical  career  was  not  of  long  duration.  It  is  not,  however, 
his  martial  exploits,  that  entitle  him  to  a  place  on  the  page 
xrf  history.  Yet  Logan  was  a  warrior  and  an  orator.  His 
memorable  speech  which  is  contained  in  this  work,  has  ex 
cited  the  admiration  of  our  most  refined  scholars,  and  shall 
be  preserved  for  ages,  as  a  specimen  of  Indian  oratory, 
brief  as  it  is.  In  this  speech  he  declares,  that  he  had  al 
ways  been  the  friend  'of  the  White  Man,  until  his  family 
was  utterly  destroyed,  so  that  not  one  drop  of  his  "blood  ran 
through  the  veins  of  any  one  living.  Logan  inherited  all 
the  good  qualities  of  his  father ;  but  Logan  was  unfortu 
nately  placed  in  different  circumstances,  which  compelled 
him  to  seek  revenge;  he  sought  and  found  it,  as  he  himself 
candidly  acknowledges.  His  people  were  plundered  and 
killed  by  the  banditti,  who  at  that  time  scoured  the 
country  in  quest  of  spoils.  They  were  neither  guided  by 
law  nor  any  sense  of  humanity.  The  persecuted  and  ex 
iled  Indians  \vere  their  prey.  They  spared  nothing  that 
came  in  their  wray,  until  the  family  of  Logan  became  their 
victims.  In  their  lawless  excursions,  a  certain  Colonel 
Cresap  headed  a  band  of  those  freebooters,  and  proceeded 
in  their  lawless  career  down  the  Kenhawa,  seeking  revenge 
of  some  Indians  whom  they  accused  of  having  committed  a 
robbery  and  murder  on  the  Ohio.  Having  spyed  a  canoe 
crossing  the  river,  with  one  man  and  some  women  and  chil 
dren,  they  fired  on  them,  whenever  they  landed,  and  killed 
them  all,  and  unfortunately  this  was  the  family  of  Logan 

Another  massacre  soon  followed  near  Wheeling,  Virginia. 
Here  the  whites  again  fell  on  a  party  of  unsuspecting 
Indians  and  destroyed  them  all  except  one  girl ;  and  among 
them  were  also  a  brother  and  sister  of  Logan.  Our  hero 
could  no  longer  contain  himself  within  his  usual  self-com 
mand,  although  he  had  witnessed  scenes  which  should 
arouse  the  feelings  of  a  man  less  patriotic  than  he  wras.  A 
bloody  war  was  therefore  the  consequence  of  those  siiameful 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  247 

outrages  on  the  Indians.  On  the  10th  of  October,  of  the 
year  1774,  an  obstinate  battle  was  fought  on  Point  Plea 
sant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  Kenhawa,  in  West  Virginia, 
between  the  conbined  Shawanees,  Mingoes,  and  Delawares, 
on  the  one  side,  and  the  Virginians,  on  the  other.  It  lasted 
six  or  seven  hours.  The  Virginians  came  off  victorious,  but 
not  without  the  loss  of  many  of  their  superior  officers,  inclu 
ding  two  colonels,  and  fifty  privates.  The  loss  of  the  Indians 
has  not  been  ascertained.  It  was  after  this  battle  that  the 
celebrated  speech  of  Logan  was  delivered  at  a  treaty  which 
ensued.  The  melancholy  history  of  Logan  is  now  closed. 
Shortly  after  this  treaty  he  was  murdered  by  a  party  of 
whites,  on  his  way  from  Detroit  to  his  own  country,  so  that 
at  last  he  paid  dearly  for  his  friendship  and  services  to  the 
whites. 


MOHAWKS. 

This  was  a  famous  tribe  of  Indians,  who  inhabited  along 
the  Mohawk  River  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  were  the 
head  tribe  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  Mohawk  language 
which  is  the  language  of  the  Six  Nations,  is  wholly  des 
titute  of  labials,  or  has  no  words  which  require  the  lips  to 
be  closed  in  pronouncing  them.  In  this  respect,  it  is  per 
haps  different  from  any  other  language.  The  strength  of 
mind  and  memory  which  the  Mohawks  possessed,  will  ap 
pear  from  the  following  fact.  In  the  year  1689,  commision- 
ers  from  Boston,  Plymouth,  and  Connecticut,  had  a  confer 
ence  with  the  Five  Nations,  (afterwards  Six  Nations)  at 
Albany.  A  Mohawk  sachem  in  a  long  oration  answered 
the  English  message,  and  repeated  all  that  had  been  said 
the  preceding  day.  The  art  that  they  had  to  assist  their 
memories  was  this.  The  sachem  who  presided,  had  a 
bundle  of  sticks  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  at  the  close 
of  every  principal  article  of  the  message  delivered  to 
them,  gave  a  stick  to  another  sachem,  charging  him 


248  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

with  the  remembrance  of  it.  By  this  means  the  ora 
tor,  after  a  previous  conference  with  the  other  sachems, 
was  prepared  to  repeat  every  part  of  the  message,  and  give 
it  its  proper  reply.  As  the  Mohawks  were  strongly  at 
tached  to  the  Johnson  family,  on  account  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  so  they  emigrated  to  Canada  with  Sir  John 
Johnson,  about  the  year  1776.  The  principal  part  of  the 
tribe  settled  on  Grand  River,  in  Upper  Canada,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  flourishing  town  of  Brandtford,  called  after 
the  Indian  chief  of  the  name  of  Brandt. 


MOHEGANS. 

The  Mohegans  was  a  numerous  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
possessed  a  considerable  part  of  the  present  territory  of 
Connecticut,  at  the  time  of  the  first  arrival  of  the  English. 
According  to  Dr.  Edwards,  their  language  abounded  with 
labials ;  had  no  diversity  of  gender,  either  in  nouns  or  pro 
nouns,  and  no  adjectives ;  and  seemed  to  be  radically  dif 
ferent  from  the  language  of  the  Mohawks  of  New- York. 
Although  these  nations  of  Indians  lived  at  no  great  distance 
apart,  there  was  not  to  be  found  one  word  in  either  lan 
guage,  which  had  any  analogy  to  the  corresponding  word 
in  the  language  of  the  other.  The  Mohegans  were  distin 
guished  by  their  friendship  to  the  white  people.  The  rem 
nant  of  this  tribe,  together  with  the  Stockbridge  Indians, 
migrated  and  settled  near  Lake  Oneida,  in  the  state  of 
New-York* 


SEMINOLES. 

The   Seminoles,  or  Lower  Creeks,  inhabited  formerly 
East  and  West  Florida.     They  enjoyed  a  superabundance 

*  Sampson. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  249 

of  the  necessaries  of  life ;  contented  and  undisturbed  they 
appeared  as  blithe  and  free  as  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  like 
them  as  volatile  and  active,  tuneful  and  vociferous.  The 
visage,  action  and  deportment  of  a  Seminole  is  the  most 
striking  picture  of  happiness  in  this  life.  Joy,  contentment, 
love,  and  friendship  without  guile  or  affectation,  seem  in 
herent  in  them,  or  predominant  in  their  vital  principle  ;  for 
it  leaves  them  but  with  the  last  breath  of  life.  On  one 
hand  you  see  among  them  troops  of  boys ;  some  fishing, 
some  shooting  with  the  bow,  some  enjoying  one  kind  of  di 
version  and  some  another;  on  the  other  hand  >are  seen  bevies 
of  girls,  wandering  through  orange  groves  and  over  fields 
and  meadows,  gathering  flowers  and  berries*,  in  their  bask 
ets,  or  lolling  under  the  shades  of  flowery  trees,  or  chasing 
one  another  in  sport,  and  striving  to  paint  each  other's  faces 
with  the  juice  of  the  berries. 


CHOCTAWS,  OR  FLATHEADS. 

The  Choctaws  were  a  cunning,  courageous  and  powerful 
nation  of  Indians,  inhabiting  a  fertile  country  between  Ala 
bama  and  Mississippi  rivers.  They  were  called  by  the  tra 
ders,  Flatheads.  All  the  males  having  the  fore  and  hind 
part  of  their  skulls  actually  flattened  ;  which  is  done  in  the 
following  manner :  soon  after  the  child  is  born,  he  is  laid 
on  his  back,  in  a  case ;  the  part  where  the  head  is  placed 
having  the  form  of  a  brick  mould.  Then  there  is  laid  on 
the  forehead  of  the  infant  a  bag  of  sand,  which,  by  a  con 
tinual  gentle  pressure,  gives  the  head  somewhat  the  form  ot 
a  brick,  from  the  temples  upwards ;  and  by  these  means 
they  have  lofty  foreheads,  sloping  off  backwards.  The 
Choctaws  are  slovenly,  but  industrious;  they  had  large 
plantations,  where  they  employed  much  of  their  time  in  ag 
ricultural  improvements. 


250  .     ORIGIN    OF    THE 


DELAWARES. 

On  whatever  portion  of  this  continent  the  first  European 
settlers  might  have  found  an  Indian  settlement,  every  tribe 
had  among  them  a  tradition,  that  they  migrated  thither, 
either  from  the  east  or  the  west,  or  from  the  north  or  the 
south,  which  goes  to  prove  what  little  knowledge  they  have 
of  their  own  origin  or  descent.  It  is  also  a  singular  fact, 
that,  ever  since  the  arrival  of  Europeans  on  the  coasts  of 
America,  many  of  the  numerous  tribes  who  once  covered 
this  extensive  country,  have  been  found  to  retrace  their  steps 
to  their  starting-places,  so  far  as  tradition  and  memory  can 
assist  them  in  so  doing.  This  is  nature  itself:  for  how 
often  do  we  see  quadrupeds,  which  may  have  strayed  from 
home,  or  been  driven  from  it  for  many  miles,  return  in  the 
same  manner  ? 

The  original  name  of  the  Delawares  (from  Lord  de  la 
War)  was  Lenni  Lenape,  signifying  in  their  own  Indian 
language,  original  people.  They  are  said  to  have  emigrated 
in  company  with  the  Five  Nations  from  beyond  the 
Mississippi,  in  the  course  of  which  migration  the  Delawares 
divided  themselves  into  three  tribes,  called  the  Turtle,  the 
Turkey,  and  the  Wolf.  In  the  time  of  William  Penn  they 
were  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Pennsylvania,  so  that  their 
settlements  extended  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Hudson.  As 
the  white  population  began  to  increase  in  these  territories, 
the  Delawares,  as  a  matter  of  course,  were  compelled  to 
withdraw  and  make  room  for  their  conquerors.  While  a 
great  portion  of  this  nation  has  settled  in  Ohio,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Muskingum,  others  have  been  gradually  moving  to 
wards  the  western  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  whence,  their 
tradition  tells  them,  they  originally  started. 

The  Delawares  were  once  a  powerful,  numerous  and  for 
midable  nation,  and  frequently  a  terror  to  the  Five  Nations. 
During  the  revolutionary  war,  they  happened  to  be  divided  in 
their  politics,  whence  arose  two  parties,  the  one  for  peace 
and  the  other  for  war.  Captain  Pipe,  of  the  Wolf  tribe,  joined 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  251 

the  British  interests;  while  Captain  White  Eyes  strove 
with  all  his  might  to  prevent  the  Delawares  from  interfering 
on  either  side.  The  influence  of  Captain  White  Eyes  had 
certainly  been  the  sole  cause  of  pacifying  and  quelling  the 
wh  'le  nation  ;  at  last  he  succeeded  so  far  as  to  hinder  any 
active  interference.  On  the  death,  however,  of  White 
Eyes,  his  antagonist  Captain  Pipe  acquired  the  ascendancy, 
which  at  once  enabled  them  to  join  the  British  and  fight 
against  the  Americans. 


OTTAWAS. 

In  speaking  of  the  tribes,  in  the  north  their  early  history 
is  generally  furnished  by  the  first  French  settlers  in  Canada. 
We  are  told  therefore  by  these  sources  that  the  Ottawas,  the 
Chippewas  and  the  Pottawattamies  resided  on  the  borders  of 
the  upper  lakes,  between  Ontario,  Erie  and  Huron.  Whence 
these  tribes  came  originally,  that  is,  from  what  Indian  stock, 
they  might  have  separated  themselves,  according  to  Indian 
migration,  wre  cannot,  with  any  accuracy,  say;  but,  the 
common  opinion  is,  that  they  were  once  members  of  the 
great  Algonkin  nation,  who,  in  the  time  of  the  earliest 
French  colonists,  were  so  widely  spread  over  the  greater 
part  of  the  lower  province  of  the  Canadas.  Thence,  it  is 
said,  they  moved  towards  the  upper  lakes.  Here,  during 
the  war  between  France  and  England,  the  Ottawas,  under 
Pontiac,  one  of  the  greatest  Indian  captains,  of  whom  there 
is  any  record  in  the  history  of  the  aborigines,  soon  convin 
ced  both  parties,  of  the  important  service,  they  could  render 
to  whatever  side  they  would  adhere. 

After  the  foundation  of  Detroit  by  the  French,  1701,  the 
Ottawas  soon  offered  them  battle  ;  but,  being  few  in  number, 
they  were  defeated,  and  became  in  future  a  firm  ally  of  the 
French  people ;  and  indeed  as  we  shall  soon  see,  in  our 
notice  of  Pontiac,  their  rioted  chieftain,  the  Ottawas  in  com 
bination  with  several  other  tribes,  proved  themselves  almost 


252  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

the  most  dangerous  Indian  foe  against  whom  the  English 
had  ever  contended  on  the  continent  of  America.  The 
Indians  in  general,  of  North  America,  have  always  been 
more  attached  to  the  French  nation  than  to  the  English 
There  is  evidenly  good  reason  for  believing  this,  when  we 
observe,  that  the  leading  policy  of  the  French,  was  to  trade 
with  the  Indians  in  a  peaceable  and  friendly  manner,  and 
not  to  subdue  nor  conquer  them ;  but  from  this  course,  how 
ever,  they  frequently  deviated.  It  is  also  equally  manifest, 
that  the  French  have  intermarried  among  the  Indians,  or 
amalgamated  with  them  more  than  any  other  foreign  peo 
ple,  which  will  account  still  more  clearly  for  Indian  parti 
ality  towards  them.  "  When  the  French  arrived  at  these 
falls,"  said  a  Chippewa  chief  at  a  council  held  some  years 
since,  "  they  came  and  kissed  us.  They  called  us  children, 
and  we  found  them  fathers.  We  lived  like  brethren  in  the 
same  lodge." 

We  have  merely  introduced  these  observations,  in  order  to 
show  their  motives  for  protecting  the  French  during  the 
war  with  the  English,  until  the  latter  obtained  and  wrested 
the  Canadas  out  of  the  hands  of  the  former.  But  even  after 
the  surrender  of  those  provinces  by  the  French  to  the 
English,  the  Ottawas  distinguished  themselves  on  various 
occasions  for  their  attachment  and  loyalty  to  the  French 
government,  as  may  be  seen  when  we  come  to  Pontiac. 


PONT1AC. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  of  modern  or  ancient 
Indian  chieftains  we  may  fairly  place  Pontiac,  the  Ottawa 
chieftain.  He  is  said  to  have  exceeded  all  and  every  thing 
since  the  days  of  King  Philip  ;  and  if  the  English  were 
"  sorely  vexed"  by  the  New  England  sachem,  they  were 
no  less  troubled  by  this  northern  warrior.  His  character,  of 
course,  has  been  the  theme  of  different  writers.  He  has  had 
both  friends  and  foes.  He  has  been  both  admired  and 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  25? 

detested.  His  virtues  have  been  extolled,  and  his  cruelty 
exaggerated.  Notwithstanding  all  this  difference  of  opinion, 
Pontiac  has  never  been  denied  an  extraordinary  share  oi 
natural  talents.  He  exercised  an  unlimited  influence  over 
most  of  the  northern  tribes,  residing  at  that  time  on  the  bord 
ers  of  the  lakes.  He  had  neither  a  brother  like  that  of  Te- 
cumseh,  to  support  him  by  religion  and  sorcery  in  whatever 
he  proposed  or  planned,  nor  did  he  really  resort,  in  general, 
to  means  which  could  be  strictly  ascribed  to  gross  imposition 
or  deception.  His  mind  was  lofty  and  magnanimous  within 
him.  Independent  feelings  were  the  source  of  his  actions. 
The  Indian  mode  of  warfare,  no  doubt,  has  subjected  him  to 
many  calumnies ;  but  his  usual  rule  was,  that  no  prisoner 
should  be  liberated  or  ransomed  without  his  knowledge ; 
and  then  fie  most  frequently  set  his  captives  at  liberty  with 
out  recompense  or  remuneration.  It  is  also  a  known  fact, 
that,  on  many  occasions,  when  his  sachems,  without  his 
consent,  gave  up  their  prisoners  of  war,  for  a  trifling 
reward,  he  compelled  the  same  men  to  fetch  them  back  to 
him,  that  he  himself  might  give  them  their  freedom  without 
a  price.  Pontiac  was  a  faithful  friend  to  the  French,  both 
before  and  after  the  government  of  the  Canadas  was 
surrendered  to  the  English. 

There  are  very  few  of  his  speeches  extant  from  which 
we  can  learn  his  oratorical  power,  but  the  following  may 
suffice  to  give  some  idea  of  his  greatness.  It  was  delivered 
at  a  conference  with  the  French  at  Detroit,  on  the  23d  of 
May,  1763. 

"  My  Brothers  !  I  have  no  doubt  but  this  war  is  very 
troublesome  to  you,  and  that  my  warriors,  who  are  contin 
ually  passing  and  repassing  through  your  settlements, 
frequently  kill  your  cattle,  and  injure  your  property.  I  am 
sorry  for  it,  and  hope  you  do  not  think  I  am  pleased  with 
this  conduct  of  my  young  men.  And,  as  a  proof  of 
my  friendship,  recollect  the  war  you  had  seventeen  years 
ago,  (1746)  and  the  part  I  took  in  it.  The  northern  na 
tions  combined  together,  and  came  to  destroy  you.  Who 
defended  you  1  Was  it  not  myself  and  my  young  men  ? 
22 


254  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

Why  do  you  think  I  would  turn  my  arms  against  you  ?  Am 
I  not  the  same  French  Pontiac,  who  assisted  you  seventeen 
years  ago  ?  I  am  a  Frenchman,  and  I  wish  to  die  a  French 
man. 

"  I  did  not  wish  to  ask  you  to  fight  with  us  against  the 
English,  and  I  did  not  believe  you  would  take  part  with 
them.  You  will  say  you  are  not  with  them.  I  know  it ; 
but  your  conduct  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  you  will  tell 
them  all  we  do  and  say.  You  carry  our  counsels  and 
plans  to  them.  Now  take  your  choice.  You  must  be 
entirely  French,  like  ourselves,  or  entirely  English.  If  you 
are  French,  take  this  belt  for  yourselves,  and  your  young 
men,  and  join  us.  If  you  are  English  we  declare  war 
against  you." 

This  brief  and  pointed  address  speaks  volumes  for  the 
character  of  Pontiac,  and  describes  the  hero  better  than  the 
pen  of  any  historian. 


CALIFORNIANS. 

The  Californians,  according  to  Perouse,  inhabit  a  large 
peninsula  of  North  America,  lying  eastward  of  New  Mexi 
co,  between  the  Gulf  of  California  and  the  Pacific  Ocean ; 
extending  in  length  from  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  to  the  28th 
degree  of  north  latitude,  about  300  leagues,  and  in  breadth, 
from  sea  to  sea,  not  more  than  40  leagues.  The  Califor 
nians  draw  the  bow  with  inimitable  skill ;  and  will  bring 
down  the  smallest  birds  with  unerring  aim.  One  of  these 
Indians  will  fix  upon  his  own,  the  head  with  the  horns  of  a 
stag ;  will  walk  on  all  fours ;  brouse  the  grass  ;  and  by  this, 
and  other  means,  so  deceive  herds  of  these  animals,  that 
they  shall,  without  alarm,  permit  him  to  approach  near 
enough  to  kill  them  with  his  arrows 


NORTH  AMERICAN    INDIANS.  255 


CREEKS. 


These  people,  otherwise  called  Muskogees,  are  a  power 
ful  nation  of  Indians  inhabiting  the  middle  parts  of  Geor 
gia,  along  the  River  Mobile.  They  are  called  Creek  Indi 
ans,  by  reason  of  the  creeks  and  rivulets,  which  abound  in 
their  country.  Their  soil  is  extremely  fruitful,  and  the  cli 
mate  delicious ;  they  are  cultivators  of  the  soil ;  they  per 
mit  no  kind  of  spiritous  liquors  to  be  used  or  brought  into 
their  towns.  They  are  faithful  friends,  but  inveterate  ene 
mies  ;  hospitable  to  strangers,  and  honest  and  fair  in  their 
dealings.  Their  women  are  very  small,  their  hands  and 
feet  being  no  larger  than  those  of  Europeans  of  nine  or  ten 
years  of  age.  They  are  well  formed ;  their  visage  round, 
features  regular  and  beautiful ;  the  eye  large,  black  and 
languishing.  The  men  are  a  full  size,  larger  than  Euro 
peans.  Their  mode  of  marrying  is  this  :  the  bridegroom 
takes  a  cane,  or  reed,  and  fixes  it  upright  in  the  ground ; 
then  the  bride  sticks  down  another  reed  by  the  side  of  his, 
which  finishes  the  marriage  ceremony.  This,  however, 
must  be  done  in  the  presence  of  company.  The  couple 
then  exchange  reeds,  which  are  laid  by  as  evidences  or  cer 
tificates  of  marriage.  They  allow  of  polygamy,  but  always 
punish  adultery  with  cropping  or  cutting  off  the  ears.  Even 
a  white  man  who  should  debauch  one  of  their  married  wo 
men,  could  not  escape  the  punishment  of  cropping,  if  he 
were  detected  and  caught.  However  much  the  Creeks  may 
have  changed  in  many  respects,  for  the  last  few  years,  the 
above  description  is  according  to  Bartram. 

We  are  furnished  by  the  same  author  with  the  following 
account  of  the  calumet  or  Indian  pipe,  as  used  among  the 
Creeks.  Our  readers  are  already  aware  that  the  calumet 
is  a  symbolical  instrument  of  great  importance  among  the 
Indians  of  North  America.  By  it  peace  or  war  is  decided, 
so  that  scarcely  any  national  affair  is  transacted  among 
them  without  the  Indian  pipe.  In  the  greatest  heat  of  bat- 


256  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

tie,   if  the  calumet  is  offered,  accepted   and  smoked  by 
the  hostile  nation,  peace  is  proclaimed. 

"  Among  the  Creeks,"  says  Bartram,  "  a  stranger,  on 
entering  the  house  of  an  Indian  chief,  is  first  presented  with 
food,  the  best  that  the  house  affords.  After  which,  the 
chief,  filling  a  pipe,  whose  stem  is  about  four  feet  long, 
sheathed  in  a  speckled  snake-skin,  and  adorned  with  feath 
ers  and  strings  of  wampum ;  he  lights  it,  and  smokes  a  few 
whiffs,  puffing  the  smoke  first  towards  the  sun,  and  then  to 
the  four  cardinal  points,  and,  lastly,  over  the  breast  of  the 
stranger ;  then  hands  the  pipe  to  him,  who  takes  it  and 
smokes.  This  done,  conversation  begins;  the  chief  asks  his 
guest,  whence  he  came,  together  with  such  other  questions 
as  happen  to  occur." 


CHEROKEES. 

The  Cherokees,  a  once  celebrated,  but  now  declining,  na 
tion  of  Indians,  inhabited  the  northern  parts  of  Georgia 
and  the  southern  parts  of  Tennessee.  In  their  disposition 
and  manners  they  are  grave  and  steady ;  they  are  dignified 
and  circumspect  in  their  deportment;  rather  slow  and  re- 
servecj  in  conversation,  yet  frank,  cheerful  and  humane;  te 
nacious  of  their  natural  rights  and  liberties ;  secret,  delibe 
rate  and  determined  in  their  councils ;  honest,  just  and  liber 
al,  and  are  always  ready  to  sacrafice  every  pleasure  and 
gratification,  even  their  blood  and  life,  to  defend  their  ter 
ritory,  and  maintain  their  rights.  They  do  homage  to  the 
Creeks  with  reluctance.  The  Creeks,  their  conquerors,  have 
been  heard  to  tell  them,  that  they  are  old  women,  and  that 
they  have  long  ago  obliged  them  to  wear  the  petticoat. 
This  insulting  language  the  Cherokees  are  constrained  to 
bear,  although  it  cuts  them  to  the  heart. 

The  Cherokees  had  many  chiefs  and  warriors  no  less  dis 
tinguished  for  magnanimity,  wisdom  and  moderation,  than 
bravery  and  military  prowess.  As  an  instance  of  sterling 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  257 

fidelity  to  a  quondam  friend,  but  at  this  time  a  prisoner 
among  this  tribe,  Attakallakulla,  or  the  Little  Carpenter, 
we  offer  the  following  incident  from  Thatcher's  Indian  Bi 
ography. 

"  On  the  occasion  of  the  capture  of  a  Captain  Stuart  by 
a  party  of  Indians,  a  gentleman  for  a  long  time  ago  favour 
ably  known  to  the  Cherokees,  Attakallakulla  hastened  to 
the  fort  where  this  gentleman  was  imprisoned,  and  purchased 
him  of  his  Indian  master  giving,  him  his  rifle,  clothes,  and 
all  he  could  command  as  a  ransom ;  and  then  took  him  into 
his  own  family,  and  shared  with  him  the  provisions  which 
his  table  afforded." 

At  another  time,  when  Captain  Stuart  expressed  some 
fear  about  the  safety  of  his  life  among  the  Indians  who 
again  became  his  masters,  the  same  magnanimous  and 
grateful  chieftain,  for  Stuart  was  formerly  his  friend,  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  addressed  him  in  the  following  man 
ner  ;  be  calm,'  said  he, '  be  calm,  my  son,  I  am  your  friend — 
trust  me.'  He  went  forward  and  claimed  the  Englishman 
for  his  prisoner  ;  and  then  gave  out  word  among  his  country 
men,  that  he  intended  to  go  out  a  ( hunting,'  for  a  few  days, 
and  to  take  his  Englishman  with  him. 

They  set  out  together,  accompanied  by  the  warrior's 
wife,  his  brother,  and  two  others.  For  provisions  they 
depended  on  what  they  could  kill  by  the  way.  The  distance 
to  the  frontier  settlements  was  great,  and  the  utmost  ex 
pedition  was  necessary  to  prevent  any  surprise  from  the 
Indians  pursuing  them.  They  travelled  nine  days  and  nine 
nights  through  a  dreary  wilderness,  shaping  their  course 
for  Virginia,  by  the  light  and  guidance  of  the  heavenly 
bodies.  On  the  tenth,  they  arrived  at  the  banks  of  Holstein 
River  ;  where  they  fortunately  fell  in  with  a  party  of  three 
thousand  men,  sent  out  by  Colonel  Bird  for  the  relief  of 
such  soldiers  as  might  make  their  escape  that  way  from 
fort  Loudon.  Here  the  chieftain  was  content  to  relinquish 
his  charge.  He  bade  his  friend  farewell,  and  as  composedly 
as  if  the  whole  transaction  were  a  matter  oi  course,  turned 
22* 


258  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

back  into  the  wilderness,  and  retraced  his  long  and  wea 
risome  journey. 

It  is  said  also  that  Captain  Stuart  often  expressed  himself 
•n  the  most  grateful  expressions  to  this  Indian  chief,  frequent 
ly  admiring,  not  only  his  faithfulness  to  him  during  his 
captivity,  but  also  his  loftiness  of  soul,  a  quality  which  he 
tfas  not  always  prepared  to  meet  with  among  rude  tribes  of 
Indians. 

These  and  many  other  acts  of  kindness  were  performed 
by  Attakallakulla  towards  the  whites ;  but  as  this  work 
must  be  brief  in  noticing  the  tribes  of  North  America  and 
their  leading  men,  we  have  only  to  say  of  this  magnanimous 
and  brave  warrior  that  his  martial  character  and  generous 
spirit  would  do  credit  to  more  refined  nations  than  the 
Indians. 


SHAWANEES. 

I 

There  are  indeed  few  tribes  of  Indian  nations  who  claim 
a  higher  title  to  notice  than  those  from  whom  the  celebrated 
Fecumseh  was  descended.  According  to  their  own  tradition, 
the  Shawanees  came  originally  from  the  south,  and  dwell 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  and  also  in 
the  Floridas.  They  were  always  considered  a  warlike, 
independent,  and  restless  people.  On  account  of  their 
martial  and  wandering  disposition  they  were  compelled  to 
move  towards  the  north,  as  they  were  frequently  inferior  in 
numbers  to  their  neighbouring  tribes,  such  as  the  Cherokees, 
Choctaws,  Creeks  and  others.  Having  migrated  northward, 
their  main  body  settled  upon  the  Ohio,  some  in  that  place 
which  is  now  called  Pittsburg,  and  others  in  different  parts 
of  Pennsylvania.  Having  become  very  numerous  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years,  and  formed  a  confederacy  between 
themselves  and  the  Delawares,  they  soon  commenced  hos 
tilities  against  the  Cherokees.  Many  bloody  battles  ensued, 
in  which  the  Shawanees  were  often  successful.  They 


NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS.  259 

t 

afterwards  turned  their  arms  against  the  white  settlers  of 
Virginia,  when  these  Indians  proved  to  be  more  dangerous 
and  troublesome  than  all  the  other  tribes  of  Indians.  We  are 
assured  by  Marshall  and  Loskiel  that  the  Shawanees  were 
*he  most  mischievous,  the  most  active,  as  well  as  the 
most  savage  of  Indian  nations.  Every  American  whi 
4'S  acquainted  with  the  history  of  his  country  must  be  well 
iware  of  the  troubles  which  the  tribe  of  Tecumseh  have 
*iven  us  from  time  to  time ;  but  these  warfares  we  must 
)ver]ook  as  the  results  of  mutual  hostilities.  Who  was 
•ight  and  who  was  wrong,  that  is  to  say,  who  the  agressors 
*vere  we  can  scarcely  tell  at  the  present  time ;  for,  no 
doubt,  there  were  cruelties  and  barbarities  on  both  sides. 

In  speaking  of  the  Shawanee  tribe  it  would  certainly  ap 
pear  rather  ungenerous  to  pass  over  the  name  of  their  great 
warrior,  statesman  and  orator,  without  devoting  a  few  ob 
servations  to  the  name  of  Tecumseh. 

When  we  speak  of  this  singular  and  extraordinary  chief 
tain,  who  struck  terror  into  the  breasts  of  our  bravest 
soldiers,  and  was  even  on  the  point  of  almost  overthrowing 
the  government  of  our  country,  both  by  his  moral  and 
physical  courage,  in  whom  they  were  both  equally  blended, 
we  should  not  treat  of  Tecumseh  as  a  mere  Indian  warrior, 
who  in  a  general  point  of  view  is  seldom  more  than  a 
savage  and  barbarian. 


TECUMSEH. 

Perhaps  there  never  did  exist  on  this  continent  a  more 
warlike  or  hostile  people  than  the  Shawanees,  the  tribe  of 
Tecumseh ;  and  fully  did  this  hero  inherit  all  the  qualities 
of  a  warrior.  There  have  really  been  few  chieftains  of  the 
Indian  race  superior  or  even  equal  to  that  soldier  and 
orator.  We  may  speak  as  long  as  we  please  about  natural 
gifts,  education,  refinement  and  all  such  accomplishments ; 
but  some  of  the  speeches  of  Tecumseh  contain  as  much  good 


260  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

sense  and  wit  as  any  sensible,  intelligent,  and  educated  man 
could  produce.  His  eloquence  was  "  strong,  stern,  senten 
tious,  pointed,  and  perfectly  undisguised."  His  native 
country  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto  near  Chilicothe. 
His  father  is  said  to  have  been  for  certainty,  a  Shawanee, 
and  his  mother  a  Cherokee,  who  was  carried  off  a  prisoner 
of  war,  by  the  Shawanees.  The  year  of  his  oiith  is  not 
exactly  known,  but  some  suppose  it  to  have  been  about  the 
year  1780.  No  other  Indian  leader  ever  gave  more  trouble 
to  the  whole  of  the  frontier  of  the  states  than  he ;  and  it 
was  Tecumseh  that  revived  and  rekindled  the  spirit  of 
revenge  in  the  breasts  of  the  Shawanees  and  their  allies, 
after  they  had  been  driven  to  the  west  by  the  American 
troops.  The  Kentuckians  likewise  suffered  more  depreda 
tion  from  the  incursions  of  this  hero  and  banditti,  than  from 
any  other  Indian  foe. 

Tecumseh,  had  evidently  greater  advantages  in  acquiring 
popularity  with  his  countrymen  than  most  other  leaders  had 
with  theirs.  He  had  a  brother  who  assumed  a  religious 
character  and  that  of  a  prophet.  All  their  plans  were 
conceived  and  formed  at  a  very  early  period.  They  de 
nounced  and  condemned  all  connexion  with  the  whites, 
from  whom  the  Red  Men  had  learned  all  their  bad  habits. 
The  use  of  liquors  they  forebade  as  the  most  destructive 
enemy  they  had.  There  was  a  regular  understanding  and 
communication  between  the  two  in  all  their  movements. 
They  advanced  gradually  and  cautiously  in  the  execution 
of  their  plans,  the  one  aiding  the  other.  The  prophet 
overawed  with  religion,  while  the  other  convinced  with 
oratory,  they  were  both  very  temperate  in  eating  and  drink 
ing,  and  exemplary  throughout  their  whole  conduct.  All 
their  sayings  and  actions  were  said  and  done  for  the  im 
provement  and  elevation  of  their  countrymen.  They  de 
picted  in  lively  colours  the  general  degradation  of  the 
Indians.  Even  in  their  plundering  excursions,  they  showed 
the  greatest  disinterestedness  in  claiming  their  share  of  the 
booty ;  they  appeared  to  be  utterly  careless  about  even  an 
equal  portion :  their  whole  system  of  operation  was  a  per- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  261 

feet  and  regular  machinery,  never  to  be  found  out  of  order  ; 
a  radical  reform  in  the  manners  of  his  people,  was  what 
they  wanted,  without  which  they  never  could  rise  to  their 
primitive  greatness.  In  this  manner  they  could  not  but 
gain  the  respect  and  confidence  of  their  nation,  which,  being 
once  obtained,  they  would  find  but  little  difficulty  in  accom 
plishing  their  designs ;  for  it  was  easy  then  to  impose  on  In 
dian  superstition.  For  the  amusement  of  the  reader,  we  shall 
here  offer  a  specimen  of  the  doctrine  propagated  among  the 
tribe  of  Tecumseh,  on  a  certain  occasion,  by  a  Shawanee 
chief.  "  The  master  of  life"  said  he,  "  who  was  himself 
an  Indian,  made  the  Shawanees  before  any  others  of  the 
human  race  and  they  sprang  from  his  brain.  That  after  he 
had  made  the  Shawaneese,  he  made  the  French  and  English 
out  of  his  breast ;  he  made  the  Dutch  out  of  his  feet."  These 
and  many  other  ridiculous  doctrines  were  taught  by  the 
Shawaneese  prophets  among  their  own  people,  so  that  the 
tribe  of  Tecumseh  were  wrought  at  last  into  a  belief  of  their 
own  superiority  over  all  other  tribes  of  Red  Men.  What 
ever  might  have  been  the  measures  and  plans  which  the 
prophet  and  the  orator  adopted  in  arriving  at  their  object, 
which  was,  no  doubt,  their  own  elevation,  as  well  as  the 
independence  of  their  nation,  both  of  them  evinced  an  ex 
traordinary  degree  of  self  command,  moderation  and  saga 
city,  as  well  as  cunning,  and  superior  talents.  If  their 
schemes  did  not  succeed,  they  certainly  did  their  best ;  their 
motives  were  good,  which  no  person  can  deny ;  they 
fought  for  the  lands  and  liberty  of  the  Red  Man.  This  was 
patriotism,  without  a  doubt.  Tecumseh,  therefore,  may 
well  be  placed  among  the  most  disinterested  patriots  that 
ever  fought  for  Indian  rights.  But  he  was  not  only  a 
warrior,  a  statesman,  but  an  orator  of  the  first  order,  if 
Indians  are  allowed  to  be  eloquent 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


RED  JACKET,  THE  SENECA  CHIEF. 

There  have  been  already  so  many  compliments  paid  to 
this  chief  for  his  eloquence  as  an  orator,  that  it  might 
perhaps  seem  superfluos  to  say  any  thing  in  this  work  re 
specting  his  power  of  oratory.  Red  Jacket,  however,  has 
greater  claims  to  praise  and  admiration  for  natural  genius 
than  any  other  Indian  chief  that  we  can  mention.  His 
Indian  name,  was  Saguaha,  or  the  Keeper-awake.  The 
great  rival  of  Red  Jacket  for  the  chieftainship  among  the 
Senecas  was  Cornplanter,  some  of  whose  speeches  are  still 
extant,  and  reflect  no  ordinary  credit  on  his  talents.  Seeing 
himself  on  the  decline  of  popularity  among  his  countrymen, 
like  the  illustrious  TecumSeh,  he  persuaded  his  brother  to 
announce  himself  a  prophet.  The  contention  was  between 
himself  and  Red  Jacket,  who  was  rising  fast  in  the  estima 
tion  of  the  Senecas  as  Cornplanter  was  declining.  One  of  the 
extraordinary  efforts  in  oratory  on  the  part  of  Red  Jacket  was 
to  vindicate  himself  against  the  accusation,  of  the  prophet, 
Cornplanter's  brother,  at  a  great  Indian  council,  near 
Buffalo  Creek.  "  At  this  crisis"  says  an  eminent  writer, 
"  he  well  knew  that  the  future  colour  of  his  life  depended 
upon  the  powers  of  his  mind.  He  spoke  in  his  defence  for 
near  three  hours.  The  iron  brow  of  superstition  relented 
under  the  magic  of  his  eloquence  ;  he  declared  the  prophet 
an  impostor  and  a  cheat;  he  prevailed;  the  Indians 
divided,  and  a  small  majority  appeared  tn  his  favour.  Per 
haps  the  annals  of  history  cannot  furnisji  a  more  conspicu 
ous  instance  of  the  triumph  and  power  of  oratory,  in  a  bar 
barous  nation,  devoted  to  superstition,  and  looking  up  to 
the  accuser  as  a  delegated  minister  of  the  Almighty."* 

On  another  occasion,  when  a  treaty  was  held  with  the 
Six  Nations  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Canandaigua,  Red  Jack 
et  is  said  to  have  been  no  less  felicitous.  "  Two  days,"  says 
our  Indian  biographer,  "  had  passed  away  in  negotiation 

*  Governor  Clinton's  discourse. 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  263 

n 

with  the  Indians  for  a  cession  of  their  lands.*  The  con 
tract  was  supposed  to  be  nearly  completed,  when  Red 
Jacket  arose.  With  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a  Roman 
senator,  he  drew  his  blanket  around  him,  and  with  a 
piercing  eye,  surveyed  the  multitude,  all  was  hushed. 
Nothing  interposed  to  break  the  silence,  save  the  gentle 
nestling  of  the  tree-tops,  under  whose  shade  they  were 
gathered.  After  a  long  and  solemn,  but  not  unmeaning 
pause,  he  commenced  his  speech  in  a  low  voice,  and  a 
sententious  style.  Rising  gradually  with  his  subject,  he 
depicted  the  primitive  simplicity  and  happiness  of  his  nation, 
and  the  wrongs  they  had  sustained  from  the  usurpations  of 
white  men,  with  such  a  bold  but  faithful  pencil,  that  every 
auditor  was  soon  roused  to  vengeance  or  melted  into  tears. 
The  effect  was  inexpressible.  But  ere  the  emotions  of 
admiration  and  sympathy  had  subsided,  the  white  men 
became  alarmed.  They  were  in  the  heart  of  an  Indian 
country,  surrounded  by  more  than  ten  times  their  number, 
who  were  inflamed  by  the  remembrance  of  their  injuries, 
and  excited  to  indignation  by  the  eloquence  of  a  favourite 
chief.  Appalled  and  terrified,  the  white  men  cast  a  cheer 
less  gaze  upon  the  hordes  around  them.  A  nod  from  the 
chiefs  might  be  the  onset  of  destruction.  At  that  portentous 
moment,  Farmer's  brother  interposed.  He  replied  not  to 
his  brother  chief;  but  with  a  sagacity  truly  aboriginal,  he 
caused  a  cessation  of  the  council,  introduced  good  cheer,  com 
mended  the  eloquence  of  Red  Jacket,  and  before  the  meeting 
had  re-assembled,  with  the  aid  of  other  prudent  chiefs,  he 
had  moderated  the  fury  of  his  nation  to  a  more  salutary 
review  of  the  question  before  them." 

We  might  here  cite  numerous  instances  of  the  eloquence 
of  Red  Jacket ;  but  as  his  oratory  is  universally  admitted  to 
be  of  the  highest  order,  we  shall  now  only  refer  the  reader 
to  some  of  his  speeches  contained  in  this  work.  At  one 
time  Red  Jacket  was  hostile  to  American  interests ;  and  to 
peace  he  was  inveterately  opposed,  until  some  wrongs  done 
his  nation  had  been  redressed.  He  afterwards  became 
warmly  attached  to  the  Americans.  There  were  indeed  few 


264  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

Indian  chiefs,  who  exerted  themselves  with  so  much  zeal 
against  the  introduction  of  Christianity  among  his  people 
as  he  did.  '  The  Black  coats,'  as  he  called  the  missionaries, 
completely  failed  in  effecting  the  least  change  in  his  Pagan 
principles,  yet  many  of  his  tribe  and  nation  had  been  con 
verted  to  the  Christian  religion.  This  brave  warrior  and 
eloquent  orator,  died  at  the  Seneca  village,  near  Buffalo,  in 
January,  1830. 


i 

I 

3 


INDIAN  SPEECHES,  &C. 


The  following  is  an  extract  from  "  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia." 
and  speaks  highly  of  the  Indian  character,  so  far  as  moral  courage 
and  national  abilities  are  concerned. 

"  Of  their  bravery  and  address  in  war,"  he  says, "  we  have 
multiplied  proofs,  because  we  have  been  the  subjects  on 
which  they  were  exercised.  Of  their  eminence  in  oratory, 
we  have  fewer  examples,  because  it  is  displayed  chiefly  in 
their  own  councils.  Some  we  have,  however,  of  very 
superior  lustre. 

"  I  may  challenge  the  whole  orations  of  Demosthenes 
and  Cicero,  and  of  many  more  eminent  orators  (if  Europe 
has  furnished  more  eminent,)  to  produce  a  single  passage 
superior  to  the  speech  of  Logan,  a  Mingo  chief,  to  Lord 
Dunmore,  when  Governor  of  Virginia ;  and  as  a  testimony 
of  their  talents  in  this  line,  I  beg  leave  to  introduce  it,  first 
stating  the  incidents  necessary  for  understanding  it. 

"  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1774,  a  robbery  was  committed 
by  some  Indians  on  certain  land  adventurers  on  the  River 
Ohio.  The  whites  in  that  quarter,  according  to  their  custom, 
undertook  to  punish  this  outrage  in  a  summary  way. 
Captain  Michael  Cresap,  and  a  certain  Daniel  Greathouse, 
leading  on  these  parties,  surprised,  at  different  times,  travel 
ling  and  hunting  parties  of  the  Indians,  having  their  women 
and  children  with  them,  and  murdered  many.  Among  these 
were  unfortunately  the  family  of  Logan ;  a  chief,  celebrated 


268  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

in  peace  and  war,  and  long  distinguished  as  the  friend  01 
the  whites.  This  unworthy  return  provoked  his  vengeance  : 
he  accordingly  signalized  himself  in  the  war  which  ensued. 
In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  a  decisive  battle  was  fought 
at  the  mouth  of  the  great  Kenhawa,  between  the  collected* 
forces  of  the  Shawanese,  Mingoes,  and  Delawares,  and  a 
detachment  of  the  Virginia  militia;  the  Indians  were  defeat 
ed  and  sued  for  peace 

"  Logan,  however,  disdained  to  be  seen  among  the  sup 
plicants.  But,  lest  the  sincerity  of  a  treaty  should  be  dis 
turbed  from  which  so  distinguished  a  chief  absented  himself, 
he  sent,  by  a  messenger,  the  folio  wing  speech,  to  be  deliver 
ed  to  Lord  Dunmore :" 


SPEECH  OF  LOGAN. 

"  1  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  ever  he  entered 
Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  not  meat ;  if  ever 
he  came  cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not.  During 
the  course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  remained 
idle  in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  for  peace.  Such  was  my 
love  for  the  whites,  that  my  countrymen  pointed  as  they 
passed  and  said,  '  Logan  is  the  friend  of  the  white  men.' 
I  had  even  thought  to  have  lived  with  you,  but  for  the 
injuries  of  one  man,  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last  spring,  in  cold 
blood,  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan, 
not  even  sparing  my  women  and  children.  There  runs  not 
a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  living  creature. 

"  This  called  on  me  for  revenge,  I  have  sought  it ;  I  have 
killed  many:  I  have  glutted  my  vengeance;  for  my  country 
I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do  not  harbour  a 
thought  that  mine  is  the  Joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear. 
He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there 
to  mourn  for  Logan  ?  Not  one ! " 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


269 


The  speech  of  the  five  Iroquois  chiefs,*  who  visited  England  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Anne.  The  following  excellent  address  was  delivwed 
by  them  before  her  majesty  : 

SPEECH  OF  THE  IROQUOIS  CHIEFS. 

"  GREAT  QUEEN. — We  have  undertaken  a  long  and  tedious, 
voyage,  which  none  of  our  predecessors  could  be  prevailed 
upon  to  undertake.  The  motive  that  induced  us  was,  that 
we  might  see  our  great  queen,  and  relate  to  her  those  things 
we  thought  absolutely  necessary,  for  the  good  of  her,  and  us, 
her  allies,  on  the  other  side  the  great  water.  We  doubt  not 
but  our  great  queen  has  been  acquainted  with  our  long  and 
tedious  war,  in  conjunction  with  her  children,  against  her 
enemies  the  French ;  and  that  we  have  been  as  a  strong 
wall  for  their  security,  even  to  the  loss  of  our  best  men. 
The  truth  of  which  our  brother  Queder,  Colonel  (Peter) 
Schuyler,  and  Anadagarjaux, Colonel  Nicholson, can  testify; 
they  having  all  our  proposals  in  writing.  We  were  might- 
ly  rejoiced  when  we  heard  by  Anadagarjaux,  that  our  great 
queen  had  resolved  to  send  an  army  to  reduce  Canada  from 
whose  mouth  we  readily  embraced  our  great  queen's  instruc 
tion  ;  and,  in  token  of  our  friendship,  we  hung  up  the  kettle, 
and  took  up  the  hatchet ;  and  with  one  consent  joined  our 
brother  Queder,  and  Anadagarjaux,  in  making  preparations 
on  this  side  the  lake,  by  building  forts,  stone  houses,  canoes, 
and  batteaux ;  whilst  Aundiasia,  Colonel  Vetch,  at  the 
same  time  raised  an  army  at  Boston,  of  which  we  were 
informed  by  our  ambassadors,  when  we  sent  thither  for  that 
purpose,  we  waited  long  in  expectation  of  the  fleet  from 
England,  to  join  Aundiasia,  to  go  against  Quebec  by  sea, 
whilst  Anadagarjaux,  Queder,  and  we,  went  to  Port  Royal 
by  land ;  but  at  last  we  were  told,  that  our  great  queen,  by 

*  They  arrived  in  London  from  the  West  Indies  with  the  English 
fleet.  With  the  four  chiefs  or  kings  of  the  Six  nations?  was  also  the 
Ganajoh-hore  Sachem.  The  names  of  the  four  others,  were,  Te  yee 
Neen  Ho  Ga  Prow,  and  Sa  Ga  yean  Qua  Prah  Ton,  of  the  Maquas  ; 
Elow  oh  Ream,  and  Oh  Nee  Yeath  Ton  no  Prow,  of  the  river  Sachem. 

23* 


SPEECH  OF  HALF-KING. 

The  speech  of  Half-King  to  the  believing  Indians  and 
their  teachers,  otherwise  the  Moravian  Indians,  while  he 
engaged  to  take  them  to  Canada.  "  Cousins ;  ye  believing 
Indians  in  Gnaden  brethren,  Schaenfrunn,  and  Salem,  I  am 
much  concerned  on  your  account,  perceiving  that  you  live 
in  a  very  dangerous  spot.  Two  powerful,  angry,  and 
merciless  gods  stand  ready,  opening  their  jaws  wide  against 
each  other ;  you  are  sitting  down,  between  both,  and  thus 
in  danger  of  being  devoured  and  ground  to  powder  by  the 
teeth  of  either  the  one,  or  the  other,  or  both.  It  is  therefore 
not  advisable  for  you  to  stay  here  any  longer.  Consider 


270  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

some  important  affair  was  prevented  in  her  design  for  that 
season.  This  made  us  extremely  sorrowful,  lest  the  French, 
who  had  hitherto  dreaded  us,  should  now  think  us  unable  to 
make  war  against  them.  The  reduction  of  Canada  is  oi 
such  weight,  that  after  the  effect  ing  thereof,  we  should  have 
free  hunting,  and  a  great  trade  with  our  great  queen's 
children  ;  and  as  a  token  of  the  sincerity  of  the  Six  Nations, 
we  do  here,  in  the  name  of  all,  present  our  great  queen, 
with  the  belts  of  wampum.  We  need  not  urge  to  our  great 
queen  more  than  the  necessity  we  really  labour  under  obliges 
us,  that  in  case  our  great  queen  should  not  be  mindful  of 
us,  we  must,  with  our  families,  forsake  our  country,  and 
seek  other  habitation,  or  stand  neuter ;  either  of  which  will 
be  much  against  our  inclinatons.  Since  we  have  been 
in  alliance  with  our  great  queen's  children  we  have  had 
some  knowledge  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world;  and  have 
often  been  importuned  by  the  French,  both  by  the  insinua 
tions  of  their' priests,  but  have  always  esteemed  them  men 
of  falsehood  ;  but  if  our  great  queen  will  be  pleased  to  send 
over  some  person  to  instruct  us,  they  shall  find  a  hearty 
welcome ;  we  now  close,  with  hopes  of  our  great  queen's 
favour,  and  leave  it  to  her  most  gracious  consideration." 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  271 

your  own  people,  your  wives,  and  your  children,  andpfeserve 
their  lives ;  for  here  they  must  all  perish.  I  therefore  take 
you  by  the  hand,  lift  you  up,  and  place  you  in  or  near  my 
dwelling,  where  you  will  be  safe  and  dwell  in  peace.  Do 
not  stand  looking  at  your  plantations  and  houses,  but  arise 
and  follow  me;  Take  also  your  teachers  (priests)  with 
you,  and  worship  God  in  the  place  to  which  I  shall  lead 
you,  as  you  have  been  accustomed  to  do.  You  shall  likewise 
have  fine  provisions,  and  our  father  beyond  the  lake  (the 
governor  at  Detroit)  will  care  for  you.  This  is  my  message, 
and  I  am  come  hither  purposely  to  deliver  it." 


»  SPEECH  OF  PETCHENANALAS. 

'  s(  Friends  and  kinsmen :  listen  to  what  I  say  to  you. 
You  see  a  great  and  powerful  nation  divided.  You  see  the 
father  fighting  against  the  son,  and  the  son  against  the 
father.  The  father  has  called  on  his  Indian  children  to 
assist  him  in  punishing  his  children,  the  Americans,  who 
have  become  refractory.  I  took  time  to  consider  what  I 
should  do ;  whether  or  not  I  should  receive  the  hatchet  of 
my  father,  to  assist  him.  At  first  I  looked  upon  it  as  a 
family  quarrel  in  which  I  was  not  interested,  at  length  it 
appeared  to  me,  that  the  father  was  in  the  right,  and  his 
children  deserved  to  be  punished  a  little.  That  this  must 
be  the  case,  I  concluded  from  the  many  cruel  acts  his 
offspring  had  committed,  from  time  to  time,  on  his  Indian 
children — in  encroaching  on  their  lands,  stealing  their 
property — shooting  at  and  murdering  without  cause,  men, 
women,  and  children  ; — yes,  even  murdering  those  who  at 
all  times  had  been  friendly  to  them,  and  were  placed  for 
protection  under  the  roof  of  their  father's  house  ;  the  father 
himself  standing  sentry  at  the  door,  at  the  time.  Friends 
and  relatives,  often  has  the  father  been  obliged  to  settle 
and  make  amends  for  the  wrongs  a,ul  mischiefs  done  us  by 
his  refractory  children ;  yet  these  do  not  grow  better.  No ! 


272  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

they  remain  the  same,  and  will  continue  to  be  so,  as  long 
as  we  have  any  land  left  us.  Look  back  at  the  murders 
committed  by  the  Long  Knives  on  many  relations,  who 
Ined  peaceable  neighbours  to  them  on  the  Ohio!  Did 
they  not  kill  them  without  the  least  provocation  ?  Are 
they,  do  you  think,  better  now,  than  they  were  then  ?  No, 
indeed  not ;  and  many  days  are  not  elapsed,  since  you  had 
a  number  of  these  very  men  near  your  doors,  who  attempt 
ed  to  kill  you,  but,  fortunately,  were  prevented  from  so 
doing  by  the  Great  Sun,  who,  at  that  time,  had  by  the 
Great  Spirit  been  ordained  to  protect  you !" 


SPEECH  OF  CAPTAIN  PIPE. 

The  Speech  of  Captain  Pipe,  or  Hopocan,  which  signi 
fies,  in  the  Indian,  tobacco-pipe,  before,  the  British  com 
mandant,  in  the  council-house  at  Detroit,  whither  he  was 
invited  to  give  an  account  of  past  transactions — in  his  left 
hand  was  a  short  stick  to  which  was  fastened  a  scalp.  He 
arose,  and  spoke  as  follows :  "  Father,  I  have  said  Father, 
although,  indeed,  1  do  not  know  why  I  am  to  call  him  so, 
having  never  known  any  other  father  than  the  French,  and 
considering  the  English  only  as  brothers.  But  as  this 
name  is  also  imposed  upon  us,  I  shall  make  use  of  it,  and 
say,  Father,  some  time  ago,  you  put  a  war  hatchet  into  my 
hands,  saying,  '  Take  this  weapon  and  try  it  on  the  heads 
of  my  enemies,  the  Long  Knives,  and  let  me  afterwards 
know  if  it  was  sharp  and  good.'  Father,  at  the  time  when 
you  gave  me  this  weapon,  I  had  neither  cause  nor  inclina 
tion  to  go  to  war  against  a  people  who  had  done  me  no 
injury  ;  yet  in  obedience  to  you,  who  say  you  are  my  father, 
and  call  me  your  child,  I  received  the  hatchet ;  well  know 
ing,  that  if  I  did  not  obey,  you  would  withold  from  me 
the  necessaries  of  life,  without  whicb  I  could  not  subsist, 
and  which  are  not  elsewhere  to  be  procured,  but  at  the 
house  of  my  father.  Yc  i  may  perhap  think  me  a  fool,  for 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 

risking  my  life  at  your  bidding,  in  a  cause,  too,  by  which  I 
Vave  no  prospect  of  gaining  anything  ;  for  it  is  your  cause 
and  not  mine.  It  is  your  concern  to  fight  the  Long  Knives ; 
you  have  raised  a  quarrel  amongst  yourselves,  and  you  ought 
yourselves  to  fight  it  out.  You  should  not  compel  your 
children,  the  Indians,  to  expose/  themselves  to  danger  for 
your  sakes. 

"Father;  many  lives  have  already  been  lost  on  your 
account ;  nations  have  suffered,  and  been  weakened : 
children  have  lost  parents  ! — brothers  and  relatives  ! 
wives  have  lost  husbands !  It  is  not  known  how  many 
more  may  perish  before  your  \var  will  be  at  an  end  ! 
Father,  I  have  said,  that  you  may  perhaps,  think  me  a  fool, 
for  thus  thoughtlessly  rushing  on  your  enemy!  Do  not 
believe  this,  father ;  think  not  that  I  want  sense  to  convince 
me,  that  although  you  now  pretend  to  keep  up  a  perpetual 
enmity  to  the  Long  Knives,  you  may  before  long  conclude 
a  peace  with  them.  Father,  you  say  you  love  your  children, 
the  Indians ;  this  you  have  often  told  them,  and  indeed 
it  is  your  interest  to  say  so  to  them,  that  you  may  have  them 
at  your  service.  But,  father,  who  of  us  can  believe  that 
you  love  a  people  of  a  different  colour  from  your  own, 
better  than  those  who  have  a  white  skin  like  yourselves  1 
Father,  pay  attention  to  what  I  am  going  to  say.  While 
you,  father,  are  setting  me  (meaning  the  Indians  in  general), 
on  your  enemy,  much  in  the  same  manner,  as  a  hunter  sets 
his  dog  on  the  game ;  while  I  am  in  the  act  of  rushing  on 
that  enemy  of  your's,  with  the  bloody,  destructive  weapon 
you  gave  me,  I  may,  perchance,  happen  to  look  back  to 
the  place  from  whence  you  started  me  ;  and  what  shall  I 
see  1  Perhaps  I  may  see  my  father  shaking  hands  with 
the  Long  Knives ;  yes  with  these  very  people  he  now  calls 
his  enemies.  I  may  there  see  him  laugh  at  my  folly,  for 
having  obeyed  his  orders  ;  and  yet  I  am  now  risking  my 
life  at  his  command !  Father,  keep  what  I  have  said  in 
.•emembrance.  Now,  Father,  here  is  what  has  been  done 
with  the  hatchet  you  gave  me,  (with  these  words  he  handed 
le  stick  to  the  commandant,  with  the  scalp  upon  it,  above 


274 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


mentioned)  I  have  done  with  the  hatchet  what  you  ordered 
me  to  do,  and  found  it  sharp.  Nevertheless  I  did  not  do 
all  that  I  might  have  done.  No,  I  did  not,  my  heart  failed 
within  me,  I  felt  compassion  for  your  enemy.  Innocence 
(helpless  women  and  children)  had  no  part  in  your  quar 
rels  ;  therefore  I  distinguished — I  spared,  I  took  some  live 
flesh,  which  while  I  was  bringing  to  you,  I  spied  one  of  your 
large  canoes,  on  which  I  put  it  for  you.  In  a  few  days  you 
will  recover  this  flesh,  and  find  that  the  skin,  is  of  the  same 
colour  with  your  own.  Father,  I  hope  you  will  not  destroy 
what  I  have  saved.  You,  father,  have  the  means  of  pre 
serving  that  which  with  me  would  perish  for  want.  The 
warrior  is  poor,  and  his  cabin  is  always  empty  ;  but  your 
house,  father,  is  always  full." 


THE  ANSWER  OF  LITTLE  TURTLE  THE  CHIEF  OF  THE 
MIAMIS  TO  M.  VOLNEY. 

The  answer  of  Little  Turtle  the  chief  of  the  Miamis  to  M.  Volney, 
who  asked  him  what  prevented  him  from  living  among  the  whites,  and 
if  he  were  not  more  comfortable  in  Philadelphia,  than  upon  the  banks 
oftheWabash. 

"  Taking  all  things,"  he  said,  "  together,  you  have  the 
advantage  over  us  ;  but  here  I  am  deaf  and  dumb,  I  do  not 
talk  your  language ;  I  can  neither  hear,  nor  make  myself 
heard.  When  1  walk  through  the  streets,  I  see  every  per 
son  in  his  shop  employed  about  something  :  one  makes 
shoes,  another  hats,  a  third  sells  cloth,  and  every  one  lives 
by  his  labour.  I  say  to  myself,  which  of  all  these  things  can 
you  do :  not  one.  I  can  make  a  bow  or  an  arrow,  catch 
fish,  kill  game,  and  go  to  war ;  but  -none  of  these  is  of  any 
use  here.  To  learn  what  is  done  here  would  require  a 
long  time,  old  age  comes  on.  I  should  be  a  piece  of 
furniture  useless  to  my  natiou,  useless  to  the  whi-  j,  useless 
to  myself.  I  must  return  to  my  own  country." 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


2  5 


THE  SPEECH  OF  RED  JACKET,  THE  SENECA  CHIEF,  TO  A 
MISSIONARY. 

Governor  De  Witt  Clinton,  in  his  most  valuable  dis 
course  before  the  Historical  Society  of  New  York,  thus 
notices  Red  Jacket  :  "  Within  a  few  years,  an  extra 
ordinary  orator  has  risen  among  the  Senecas;  his  real 
name  is  Saguaha.  Without  the  advantages  of  illustrious 
descent,  and  with  no  extraordinary  talents  for  war,  he  has 
attained  the  first  distinctions  in  the  nation  by  the  force  of 
his  eloquence." 

After  the  missionary  had  done  speaking,  the  Indians 
conferred  together  about  two  hours  by  themselves,  when 
they  gave  an  answer  by  Red  Jacket,  which  follows,  anc 
which  is,  perhaps,  the  chef  d'ceuvre  of  Indian  oratory. 

"  Friend  and  Brother,  it  was  the  will  of  the  Great 
Spirit  that  we  should  meet  together  this  day.  He  orders 
all  things,  and  he  has  given  us  a  fine  day  for  our  council. 
He  has  taken  his  garment  from  before  the  sun,  and  caused 
it  to  shine  with  brightness  on  us.  Our  eyes  are  opened, 
that  we  see  clearly  :  our  ears  are  unstopped,  that  we  have 
been  able  to  hear  distinctly  the  words  that  you  have  spok 
en  ;  for  all  these  favours  we  thank  the  Great  Spirit,  and  him 
only. 

"  Brother,  this  council  fire  was  kindled  by  you ;  it  was 
at  your  request  that  we  came  together  at  this  time ;  we 
have  listened  with  attention  to  what  you  have  said ;  you 
requested  us  to  speak  our  minds  freely ;  this  gives  us  great 
joy,  for  we  now  consider  that  we  stand  upright  before  you, 
and  can  speak  what  we  think ;  all  have  heard  your  voice, 
and  all  speak  to  you  as  one  man ;  our  minds  are  agreed. 

"  Brother,  you  say  you  want  an  answer  to  your  talk 
before  you  leave  this  place.  It  is  right  you  should  have 
one,  as  you  are  a  great  distance  from  home,  and  we  do  not 
wish  to  detain  you  ;  but  we  will  first  look  back  a  little  and 
tell  you  what  our  fathers  have  told  us,  and  what  we  have 
heard  from  the  white  people. 

"  Brother,  listen  to  what  we  say     There  was  a  time 


276  ORIGIN    OF    THF. 

when  our  forefathers  owned  this  great  land.  Their  seats 
extended  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  The  Great 
Spirit  had  made  it  for  the  use  of  the  Indians.  He  had 
created  the  buffalo,  the  deer,  and  other  animals  for  food. 
He  had 'made  the  bear  and  the  beaver,  and  their  skins 
served  us  for  clothing.  He  had  scattered  them  over  the 
country,  and  taught  us  how  to  take  them.  He  had  caused 
the  earth  to  produce  corn  for  bread,  all  this  he  had  done 
for  his  red  children,  because  he  loved  them.  If  we  had 
any  disputes  about  hunting  grounds,  they  were  generally 
settled  without  the  shedding  of  much  blood ;  but  an  evil 
day  came  upon  us ;  your  forefathers  crossed  the  great  wa 
ters,  and  landed  on  this  island.  Their  numbers  were  small ; 
they  found  tribes,  and  not  enemies  ;  they  told  us  they  had 
fled  from  their  own  country  for  fear  of  wicked  men,  and  come 
here  to  enjoy  their  religions.  They  asked  for  a  small  seat; 
we  took  pity  on  them,  granted  their  request,  and  they  sat 
down  among  us ;  we  gave  them  corn  and  meat ;  they  gave 
us  poison  in  return. 

"  The  white  people  had  now  found  our  country,  tidings 
were  carried  back,  and  more  came  among  us,  yet  we  did 
not  fear  them,  we  took  them  to  be  friends ;  they  called  us 
brothers ;  we  believed  them,  and  gave  them  a  larger  seat. 
At  length  their  numbers  had  greatly  increased ;  they  want 
ed  more  land ;  they  wanted  our  country.  Our  eyes  were 
opened,  and  our  minds  became  uneasy.  Wars  took  place ; 
Indians  were  hired  to  fight  against  Indians ;  and  many  of 
our  people  were  destroyed.  They  also  brought  strong 
liquors  among  us;  it  was  strong  and  powerful,  and  has 
slain  thousands. 

"Brother,  our  seats  were  once  large,  and  yours  were 
very  small ;  you  have  now  become  a  great  people,  and  we 
have  scarcely  a  place  left  to  spread  our  blankets;  you 
liave  got  our  country,  but  are  not  satisfied ;  you  want  to 
force  your  religion  upon  us. 

"  Brother,  continue  to  listen.  You  say  that  you  are 
sent  to  instruct  us  how  to  worship  the  Great  Spirit  agree 
able  to  his  mind,  and  if  we  do  not  take  hold  of  the  reli- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  277 

gion  you  white  people  teach,  we  shall  be  unhappy  here 
after  ;  you  say  that  you  are  right,  and  we  are  lost ;  how  do 
we  know  this  to  be  true  ?  We  understand  that  your  re 
ligion  is  written  in  a  book ;  if  it  was  intended  for  us  as 
well  as  you,  why  has  not  the  Great  Spirit  given.it  to  us, 
and  not  only  to  us,  but  why  did  he  not  give  to  our  fore 
fathers  the  knowledge  of  that  book,  with  the  means  *.  f 
understanding  it  rightly  ?  We  only  know  what  you  tell  \& 
about  it ;  how  shall  we  know  when  to  believe,  being  Si 
often  deceived  by  the  white  people  1 

"  Brother,  you  say  there  is  but  one  way  to  worship  ant 
serve  the  Great  Spirit ;  if  there  is  but  one  religion,  why  dc 
you  white  people  differ  so  much  about  it.  Why  not  ki, 
agree,  as  you  can  all  read  the  book  ? 

"  Brother,  we  do  not  understand  these  things ;  we  arc 
told  that  your  religion  was  given  to  your  forefathers,  and 
has  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son.  We  also  have 
a  religion  which  was  given  to  our  forefathers,  ,and  has 
been  handed  down  to  us,  their  children.  We  worship  that 
way.  It  teaches  us  to  be  thankful  for  all  the  favours  we 
receive  ;  to  love  each  other,  and  to  be  united  ;  we  never  quar 
rel  about  religion. 

"  Brother,  the  Great  Spirit  has  made  us  all ;  but  he  has 
made  a  great  difference  between  his  white  and  red  chil 
dren  ;  he  has  given  us  a  different  complexion,  and  different 
customs  ;  to  you  he  has  given  the  arts  ;  to  these  he  has  not 
opened  our  eyes ;  we  know  these  things  to  be  true.  Since  " 
he  has  made  so  great  a  difference  between  'us  in  other 
things,  why  may  we  not  conclude  that  he  has  given  us  a 
different  religion  according  to  our  understanding  ;  the 
Great  Spirit  does  right ;  he  knows  what  is  best  for  his 
children ;  we  are  satisfied. 

"  Brother,  we  do  not  wish  to  destroy  your  religion,  or 
take  it  from  you  ;  we  only  want  to  enjoy  our  own. 

"  Brother,  you  say,  that  you  have  not  come  to  get  our 
land  or  our  money,  but  to  enlighten  our  minds.  I  will  now 
ell  you  that  I*  have  been  at  your  meetings,  and  saw 
vou  collecting  money  from  the  meeting.  I  cannot  tell  what 


I. 


278  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

this  money  was  intended  for,  but  suppose  it  was  for  your 
minister,  and  if  we  should  conform  to  your  way  of  think 
ing,  perhaps  you  may  want  some  from  us. 

"  Brother,  we  are  told  that  you  have  been  preaching  to 
white  people  in  this  place ;  these  people  are  our  neigh 
bours,  we  are  acquainted  with  them ;  we  will  wait  a  little 
while  and  see  what  effect  your  preaching  has  upon  them." 

In  alluding  to  the  crucifixion  of  our  Saviour  he  said,  on 
some  other  occasion, 

"  Brother,  if  your  white  men  murdered  the  son  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  we  Indians  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and  it 
is  none  of  our  affair.  If  he  had  come  among  us  we  woul  • 
not  have  killed  him ;  we  would  have  treated  him  well,  yo\» 
must  make  amends  for  that  crime  yourselves." 


SPEECH  OF  RED  JACKET. 

The  witch  doctrine  of  the  Senecas  was  much  ridiculed  by  some  of 
the  Americans,  to  which  Red  Jacket  thus  aptly  alludes  in  a  speech 
which  he  made  while  on  the  stand  giving  evidence  against  a  woman 
who  was  believed  to  be  a  witch,  and  who  for  that  crime  was  put  to 
death  by  the  Indians  themselves : 

"  What !  do  you  denounce  us  as  fools  and  bigots,  because 
we  still  continue  to  believe  that  which  you  yourselves  sedu 
lously  inculcated  two  centuries  ago  ?  Youi  divines  have 
thundered  this  doctrine  from  the  pulpit,  yoo  judges  have 
pronounced  it  from  the  bench,  your  courts  of  justice  have 
sanctioned  it  with  the  formalities  of  law,  and  you  would 
now  punish  our  unfortunate  brother  (he  that  killed  the  wo 
man)  for  adherence  to  the  superstitions  of  his  fathers !  Go 
to  Salem !  Look  at  the  records  of  your  government,  and 
you  will  find  hundreds  executed  for  the  very  crime  which 
has  called  forth  the  sentence  of  condemnation  upon  this  wo 
man,  and  drawn  down  the  arm  of  vengeance  upon  her 
What  have  your  brothers  done  more  than  the  rulers  of  your 
people  have  done  ?  and  what  crime  has  this  man  commit- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  279 


1  by  executing,  in  a  summary  way, 
r,  and  the  injunctions  of  his  God  ?" 


^          the  laws  of  hk  <toun- 
try,   " 


SPEECH  OF  FARMER'S  BROTHER,  A  SENECA  CHIEF,  IN   A 
COUNCIL  AT  GENESEE  RIVER,  IN  1798. 

"  Brothers,  as  you  are  once  more  assembled  in  council 
for  the  purpose  of  doing  honor  to  yourselves  and  justice  to 
your  country,  we,  your  brothers,  the  sachems,  chiefs,  and 
warriors  of  the  Seneca  nation,  request  you  to  open  your 
ears  and  give  attention  to  our  voice  and  wish.  You  will 
recollect  the  late  contest  between  you  and  your  father,  the 
great  king  of  England.  This  contest  threw  the  inhabitants 
of  this  whole  isfand  into  a  great  tumult  and  commotion, 
like  a  raging  whirlwind,  which  tears  up  the  trees,  and  tosses 
to  and  fro  the  leaves,  so  that  no  one  knows  from  whence 
they  come,  or  where  they  will  fall.  This  whirlwind  was 
so  directed  by  the  Great  Spirit  above,  as  to  throw  into  our 
arms  two  of  your  infant  children,  Jasper  Parrish  and  Ho 
ratio  Jones.  We  adopted  them  into  our  families,  and  made 
them  our  children.  We  loved  them  and  nourished  them. 
They  lived  with  us  many  years ;  at  length  the  Great  Spirit 
spoke  to  the  whirlwind,  and  it  was  still.  A  clear  and  an 
uninterrupted  sky  appeared.  The  path  of  peace  was  open 
ed,  and  the  chain  of  friendship  was  once  more  made  bright. 
Then  these  our  adopted  children  left  us  to  seek  their  relations ; 
we  wished  them  to  remain  among  us,  and  promised,  if  they 
would  return  and  live  in  our  country,  to  give  each  of  them 
a  seat  of  land  for  them  and  their  children  to  sit  down  upon. 
They  have  returned,  and  have,  for  several  years  past,  been 
serviceable  as  interpreters.  We  still  feel  our  hearts  beat 
with  affection  for  them,  and  now  wish  to  fulfill  the  promise 
we  made  them,  and  reward  them  for  their  services.  W"e 
have,  therefore,  made  up  our  minds  to  give  them  a  seat  of 
two  square  miles  of  land,  lying  on  the  outlets  of  Lake  Erie, 
about  three  miles  below  Black  Rock,  beginning  at.  the 
24 


280  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

mouth  of  a  creek  known  by  the  name  of  Scyguoydes  creek, 
running  one  mile  from  the  Niagara  River  up  said  -creek, 
thence  northerly  as  the  river  runs,  two  miles,  to  the  place 
of  beginning,  so  as  to  contain  two  square  miles.  We  have 
now  made  known  to  you  our  minds.  We  expect  and  earn 
estly  request  that  you  will  permit  our  friends  to  receive  this 
our  gift,  and  will  make  the  same  good  to  them,  according 
to  the  laws  and  customs  of  youi  nation.  Why  shojld  you 
hesitate  to  make  our  minds  easy  with  regard  to  this  our  re 
quest.  To  you  it  is  but  a  little  thing  ;  and  have  you  not 
complied  with  the  request  and  confirmed  the  gifts  of  our 
brothers  the  Oneidas,  the  Onandagas,  and  Cayugas,  to  their 
interpreters  ?  and  shall  we  ask  and  not  be  heard  1  We 
send  you  this  our  speech,  to  which  we  expect  your  answer 
before  the  breaking  up  of  our  Great  Council  fire." 


SPEECH  OF  CORNPLANTER. 

The  Speech  of  Cornplanter  to  President  Washington,  at  Philadelphia 
in  the  year  1790. 

"  Father :  the  voice  of  the  Seneca  nations  speaks  to  you  '• 
the  great  counsellor,  in  whose  heart  the  wise  men  of  all  the 
thirteen  fires  ( 13  U.  S.)  have  placed  their  wisdom.  It  may 
be  very  small  in  your  ears,  and  we,  therefore,  entreat  you 
to  hearken  with  attention ;  for  we  are  able  to  speak  of 
things  which  are  to  us  very  great. 

"  When  your  army  entered  the  country  of  the  Six  Na 
tions,  we  called  you  the  town  destroyer ;  to  this  day,  when 
this  name  is  heard,  our  women  look  behind  and  turn  pale, 
and  our  children  cling  close  to  the  necks  of  their  mothers. 

"  When  our  chiefs  returned  from  Fort  Stanwix  and  laid 
before  our  council  what  had  been  done  there,  our  nation 
was  surprised  to  hear  how  great  a  country  you  had  com 
pelled  them  to  give  up  to  you,  without  your  paying  to  us 
anv  thing  fcr  it  •  every  one  said,  that  your  hearts  were  ye*; 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  281 

swelled  with  resentment  against  us  for  what  had  happened 
during  the  war,  but  that  one  day  you  would  consider  it  with 
more  kindness.  We  asked  each  other,  What  have  we  done 
to  deserve  such  severe  chastisement  ? 

"  Father  :  when  you  kindled  your  thirteen  fires  separate 
ly,  the  wise  men  assembled  at  them  told  us  you  were  all 
brothers ;  the  children  of  one  great  father,  who  regarded 
the  red  people  as  his  children.  They  called  us  brothers, 
and  invited  us  to  his  pro*  Action.  They  told  us  that  he  re 
sided  beyond  the  great  \v  ater  where  the  sun  first  rises  ;  and 
that  he  was  a  king  whose  po'.ver  no  people  could  re-* 
sist,  and  that  his  goodness  was  as  bright  as  the  sun.  What 
they  said  went  to  our  hearts,  we  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  promised  to  obey  him.  What  the  Seneca  nation  pro 
mise,  they  faithfully  perform.  When  you  refused  obedience 
to  that  king,  he  commanded  us  to  assist  his  beloved  men  in 
making  you  sober.  In  obeying  him  we  did  no  more  than 
yourselves  had  led  us  to  promise. 

"  We  were  deceived ;  but  your  people  teaching  us  to 
confide  in  that  king,  had  helped  to  deceive  us ;  and  we  now 
appeal  to  your  heart.  Is  all  the  blame  ours  ? 

"  Father :  when  we  saw  that  we  had  been  deceived,  and 
heard  the  invitation  which  you  gave  us  to  draw  near  to  the 
fire  you  had  kindled,  and  talk  with  you  concerning  peace, 
we  made  haste  towards  it :  you  told  us  you  could  crush  us 
to  nothing ;  and  you  demanded  from  us  a  great  country,  as 
the  price  of  that  peace  which  you  had  offered  to  us ,  as  if 
our  want  of  strength  had  destroyed  our  rights.  Our  chiefs 
had  felt  your  power,  and  were  unable  to  contend  against 
you,  and  they  therefore  gave  up  that  country.  What  they 
agreed  has  bound  our  nation,  but  your  anger  against  us 
must  by  this  time  be  cooled,  and  although  our  strength  is 
not  increased,  nor  your  power  become  less,  we  ask  you  to 
consider  calmly — Were  the  terms  dictated  to  us  by  your 
«ormnissioners  reasonable  and  just  ?" 

24* 


282 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


SPEECH  OF  TECUMSEH. 

Speech  of  Tecumseh  in  council  at  Vincennes,  upor.the  12th  August 
1810,  before  Governor  Harrison. 

"  It  is  true,  I  am  a  Shawanee.  My  forefathers  were 
warriors.  Their  son  is  a  warrior.  From  them  I  only  take 
my  existence ;  from  my  tribe  I  take  nothing.  I  am  the 
maker  of  my  own  fortune ;  and,  that  I  could  make  that  of 
my  red  people,  and  of  my  country,  as  great  as  the  concep 
tions  of  my  mind,  when  I  think  of  the  Spirit  that  rules  the 
universe.  I  would  not  then  come  to  Governor  Harrison,  tc 
ask  him  to  tear  the  treaty,  and  to  obliterate  the  landmark 
but  I  would  say  to  him,  sir,  you  have  liberty  to  return  to 
your  own  country. 

"  The  being  within,  communing  with  past  ages,  tells  me, 
that  once,  nor  until  lately,  there  was  no  white  men  on  this 
continent.  That  it  then  belonged  all  to  red  men,  children 
of  the  same  parents,  placed  on  it  by  the  Great  Spirit  that 
made  them,  to  keep  it,  to  traverse  it,  to  enjoy  its  productions, 
and  to  fill  it  with  the  same  race.  Once  a  happy  race.  Since, 
made  miserable  by  the  white  people,  who  are  never  con 
tented,  but  always  encroaching.  The  way,  and  the  only 
way,  to  check  and  stop  this  evil,  is,  for  all  the  red  men  to 
unite  in  claiming  a  common  and  equal  right  in  the  land,  as 
it  was  at  first,  and  should  be  yet :  for  it  never  was  divided, 
but  belongs  to  all,  for  the  use  of  each.  That  no  part  has 
a  right  to  sell,  even  to  each  other,  much  less  to  strangers  : 
those  who  want  all,  and  will  not  do  with  less.  The  white 
people  have  no  right  to  take  the  land  from  the  Indians : 
because  they  had  it  first — it  is  theirs.  They  may  sell,  but 
all  must  join.  Any  sale  not  made  by  all  is  not  valid.  The 
late  sale  is  bad.  It  was  made  by  a  part  only.  Part  do  not 
know  how  to  sell.  It  requires  all  to  make  a  bargain  for 
all.  All  red  men  have  equal  rights  to  the  unoccupied  land. 
The  right  of  occupancy  is  as  good  in  one  place  as  in  an 
other.  There  cannot  be  two  occupations  in  the  same  place. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  283 

The  first  excludes  all  others.  It  is  not  so  in  hunting  or 
travelling ;  for  there  the  same  ground  will  serve  many,  as 
they  may  follow  each  other  all  day ;  but  the  camp  is  station 
ary,  and  that  is  occupancy  It  belongs  to  the  first  who  sits 
down  on  his  blanket  or  skins,  which  he  has  thrown  on  the 
ground,  and  until  he  leaves  it  no  other  has  a  right/' 

The  following  characteristic  circumstance  occurred  at 
one  of  the  meetings  at  Vincennes.  After  Tecumseh  had 
made  a  speech  to  Governor  Harrison,  and  was  about  to 
seat  himself  in  a  chair,  he  observed  that  none  had  been 
placed  for  him.  One  was  immediately  ordered  by  the  Gov 
ernor,  and  as  the  interpreter  handed  it  to  him,  he  said, 
"  Your  father  requests  you  to  take  a  chair."  "  My  father !" 
said  Tecumseh,  with  great  indignity  of  expression,  "  the 
sun  is  my  father,  and  the  earth  is  my  mother ;  and  on  her 
bosom  I  will  repose ;"  and  immediately  seated  himself,  in 
the  Indian  manner,  upon  the  ground. 


SPEECH  OF  BLACK  THUNDER. 

The  speech  of  Black  Thunder,  or  Mackanatnamakee,  generally 
styled  the  patriarch  of  the  Fox  Tribe,  before  the  American  commis 
sioners,  who  had  assembled  many  chiefs  at  a  place  called  the  Portage, 
July,  1815.  He  rose  and  addressed  himself  thus,  to  the  commissioners 
who  opened  the  talk  : 

"  My  father,  restrain  your  feelings,  and  hear  calmly  what 
I  shall  say.  I  shall  say  it  plainly.  I  shall  not  speak  with 
fear  and  trembling.  I  have  never  injured  you,  and  inno 
cence  can  feel  no  fear.  I  turn  to  you  all,  red  skins  and 
white  skins — where  is  the  man  who  will  appear  as  my  ac 
cuser  1  Father,  I  understand  not  clearly  how  things  are 
working.  I  have  just  been  set  at  liberty.  Am  I  again  to 
be  plunged  into  bondage  ?  But  I  am  incapable  of  change. 
You  may,  pernaps,  be  ignorant  of  what  I  tell  you ',  but  it 
is  a  truth,  which  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness.  It  is 


284 


ORIGIN   OF   THE 


a  fact  which  can  easily  be  proved,  that  I  have  been  assail 
ed  in  almost  every  possible  way  that  pride,  fear,  feeling,  or 
interest  could  touch  me — that  I  have  been  pushed  to  the 
last  to  raise  the  tomahawk  against  you — but  all  in  vain. 
I  never  could  be  made  to  feel  that  you  were  my  enemy.  If 
this  be  the  conduct  of  an  enemy,  I  shall  never  be  your 
friend.  You  are  acquainted  with  my  removal  from  Prairie 
du  Chien.  I  went  and  formed  a  settlement,  and  called 
my  warriors  around.  We  took  counsel,  and  from  that  coun 
sel  we  never  have  departed.-  We  smoked,  and  resolved  to 
make  common  cause  with  the  United  States.  I  sent  you 
the  pipe — it  resembled  this — and  I  sent  it  by  the  Missouri, 
that  the  Indians  of  the  Mississippi  might  not  know  what 
we  were  doing.  You  received  it.  I  then  told  you  that 
your  friends  should  be  my  friends — that  your  enemies  should 
be  my  enemies — and  that  I  only  awraited  your  signal  to 
make  war.  If  this  be  the  conduct  of  an  enemy,  I  shall 
never  be  your  friend.  Why  do  I  tell  you  this  ?  Because  it 
is  a  truth,  and  a  melancholy  truth,  that  the  good  things 
which  men  do  are  often  buried  in  the  ground,  while  their 
evil  deeds  are  stripped  naked,  and  exposed  to  the  world. 
When  I  came  here,  1  came  to  you  in  friendship.  I  little 
thought  I  should  have  to  defend  myself.  I  have  no  defence 
to  make.  If  I  were  guilty,  I  should  have  come  prepared  ; 
but  I  have  ever  held  you  by  the  hand,  and  I  am  come  with 
out  excuses.  If  I  had  fought  against  you,  I  would  have 
told  you  so ;  but  I  have  nothing  now  to  say  here  in  your 
councils,  except  to  repeat  what  I  said  before  to  my  Great 
Father,  the  President  of  your  nation.  You  heard  it,  and 
no  doubt  remember  it.  It  was  simply  this.  My  lands  can 
never  be  surrendered  ;  I  was  cheated,  and  basely  cheated, 
in  the  contract ;  I  will  not  surrender  my  country,  but  with 
my  life.  Again  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness,  and  I 
smoke  this  pipe  in  evidence  of  my  sincerity.  If  you  are 
sincere,  you  will  receive  it  from  me.  My  only  desire  is, 
that  we  should  smoke  it  together — that  I  should  grasp  your 
sacred  hand  :  and  I  claim  for  myself  and  my  tribe  the  pro 
tection  of  your  country.  When  this  pipe  touches  your  lip, 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  285 

may  it  operate  as  a  blessing  upon  all  my  tribe.  May  the 
smoke  rise  like  a  cloud,  and  carry  away  with  it  all  the  ani 
mosities  which  have  arisen  between  us." 


SPEECH  OF  METEA. 

The  Speech  of  Metea,  Chief  of  the  Pottowattomies,  at  Chicago, 
before  Governor  Cass,  against  selling  land. 

"  My  father,  we  have  listened  to  what  you  have  said. 
We  shall  now  retire  to  our  camps  and  consult  on  it.  You 
will  hear  nothing  more  from  us  at  present.  We  met  you 
here  to-day  because  we  had  promised  it,  to  tell  you  our 
minds,  -and  what  we  have  agreed  upon  among  ourselves. 

"  You  will  listen  to  us  with  a  good  mind,  and  believe 
what  we  say.  You  know  that  we  first  came  to  this  coun 
try  a  long  time  ago,  and  when  we  sat  ourselves  down  upon 
it,  we  met  with  a  great  many  hardships  and  difficulties. 
Our  country  then  was  very  large,  but  it  has  dwindled  away 
to  a  small  spot,  and  you  wish  to  purchase  that.  This  has 
^caused  us  to  reflect  much  upon  what  is  going  forward.  You 
'know  your  children.  Since  you  first  came  among  them, 
they  have  listened  to  your  words  with  an  attentive  ear,  and 
have  always  hearkened  to  your  counsels,  whenever  you 
have  had  a  proposal  to  make  to  us.  Whenever  you  have 
had  a  favour  to  ask  of  us,  we  have  ahvays  lent  a  favoura 
ble  ear,  and  our  invariable  answer  has  been  t  Yes.'  This 
you  know.  A  long  time  has  passed  since  we  first  came  on 
our  lands,  and  our  old  people  have  all  sunk  into  their 
graves.  They  had  sense.  We  are  all  young  and  foolish, 
and  do  not  wish  to  do  anything  that  they  would  not  ap 
prove,  were  they  living.  We  are  fearful  we  shall  offend 
their  spirits,  if  we  sell  our  lands ;  and  we  are  fearful  we 
shall  offend  you,  if  we  do  not  sell  them.  This  has  caused 
us  great  perplexity  of  thought,  because  we  have  counselled 
among  ourselves,  and  do  not  know  how  we  can  part  with 


286 


ORIGIN    OF   THE 


the  land.  Our  country  was  given  to  us  by  the  Great  Spirit, 
who  gave  it  to  us  to  hunt  upon,  to  make  our  corn-fields 
upon,  to  live  upon,  and  to  make  down  our  beds  upon  when 
we  die.  And  he  would  never  forgive  us,  should  we  bargain 
it  away.  When  you  first  spoke  to  us  for  lands  at  St.  Mary's, 
we  said  we  had  a  little,  and  agreed  to  sell  you  apiece  of  it; 
but  we  told  you  we  could  spare  no  more.  Now  you  ask  us 
again.  You  are  never  satisfied  !  We  have  sold  you  a  great 
tract  of  land,  already ;  but  it  is  not  enough !  We  sold  it  to 
you  for  the  benefit  of  your  children,  to  farm  and  to  live  upon. 
We  have  now  but  little  left.  We  shall  want  it  all  for  our 
selves.  We  know  not  how  long  we  may  live,  and  we  wish 
to  have  some  lands  for  our  children  to  hunt  upon.  You  are 
gradually  taking  away  our  hunting  grounds.  Your  children 
are  driving  us  before  them.  We  are  growing  uneasy.  What 
lands  you  have,  you  may  retain  for  ever  ;  but  we  shall  sell 
no  more.  You  think,  perhaps,  that  I  speak  in  passion ;  but 
my  heart  is  good  towards  you.  I  speak  like  one  of  your  own 
children.  I  am  an  Indian,  a  red  skin,  and  live  by  hunting 
and  fishing,  but  my  country  is  already  too  small ;  and  I  do 
not  know  how  to  bring  up  my  children,  if  I  give  it  all  away. 
We  sold  you  a  fine  tract  of  land  at  St.  Mary's.  We  said 
to  you  then  it  was  enough  to  satisfy  your  children,  and  the 
last  we  should  sell ;  and  we  thought  it  would  be  the  last  you 
would  ask  for.  We  have  now  told  you  what  we  had  to  say. 
It  is  what  was  determined  on  in  a  council  among  ourselves  ; 
and  what  I  have  spoken  is  the  voice  of  my  nation.  On  this 
account,  all  our  people  have  come  here  to  listen  to  me;  but 
do  not  think  we  have  a  bad  opinion  of  you.  Where  should 
we  get  a  bad  opinion  of  you  1  We  speak  to  you  with  a  good 
heart,  and  the  feelings  of  a  friend.  You  are  acquainted  with 
this  piece  of  land — the  country  we  live  in.  Shall  we  give  it 
up  ?  Take  notice  it  is  a  small  piece  of  land,  and  if  we  give 
it  away,  what  will  become  of  us  ? 

"  The  Great  Spirit,  who  has  provided  it  for  our  use,  allows 
us  to  keep  it,  to  bring  up  our  young  men  and  support  our 
families.  We  should  incur  his  anger,  if  we  bartered  it  away. 
If  we  had  more  land,  you  should  get  more  ;  but  our  land  has 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  28*} 

been  wasting  away  ever  since  the  white  people  became  our 
neighbours,  and  we  have  now  hardly  enough  left  to  cover 
the  bones  of  our  tribes ;  you  are  in  the  midst  of  your  red  chil 
dren.  What  is  due  to  us  in  money  we  wish,  and  I  will  re 
ceive  at  this  place ;  and  we  want  .nothing  more.  We  shall 
shake  hands  with  you.  Behold  our  warriors,  our  women, 
and  children ;  take  pity  on  us  and  on  our  words." 


SPEECH  OF  KEEWTAGOUSHKUM. 

A  historical  speech  of  Keewatgoushkum,  chief  of  the  Ottawa  nation 
at  the  time  of  the  Chicago  treaty. 

"  My  father,  listen  to  me  !  The  first  white  people  seen 
by  us  were  the  French,  When  they  first  ventured  into  these-, 
lakes,  they  hailed  us  as  children ;  they  came  with  presents 
and  promises  of  peace,  and  we  took  them  by  the  hand.  We 
gave  them  what  they  wanted,  and  initiated  them  into  our 
mode  of  life,  which  they  readily  fell  into.  After  some  time, 
during  which  we  had  become  well  acquainted,  we  embraced 
their  father  (the  king  of  France)  as  our  father.  Shortly 
after,  the  people  that  wear  red  coats  (the  English)  came  to 
this  country,  and  overthrew  the  French,  and  they  extended 
their  hand  to  us  in  friendship.  As  soon  as  the  French  were 
overthrown,  the  British  told  us,4  we  will  clothe  you  in  the 
same  manner  the  French  did.  W"e  will  supply  you  with  all 
you  want,  and  will  purchase  all  your  peltries,  as  they  did  ?' 
Sure  enough!  After  the  British  took  possession  of  the  coun 
try,  it  was  reported  that  another  people,  who  wore  white 
clothes,  had  arisen  and  driven  the  British  out  of  the  land. 
These  people  we  first  met  at  Greenville  (in  1795  to  treat 
with  General  Wayne)  and  took  them  by  the  hand.  When 
the  Indians  first  met  the  American  chief  (Wayne)  in  coun 
cil,  there  were  but  few  Ottawas  present ;  but  he  said  to 
them,  '  when  I  sit  myself  down  at  Detroit,  you  will  all  see 
nie.'  Shortly  after,  he  arrived  at  Detroit.  Proclamations 


288 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


were  then  made  for  all  the  Indians  to  come  in.  We  were 
told  (by  the  general,) '  the  reason  why  I  do  not  push  those 
British  farther,  is  that  we  may  not  forget  their  example  in 
giving  you  presents  of  cloth,  arms,  ammunition,  and  what 
ever  else  you  may  require.'  Sure  enough  !  The  first  time, 
we  were  clothed  with  great  liberality.  You  gave  us  strouds, 
guns,  ammunition,  and  many  other  things  we  stood  in  need 
of,  and  said, (  this  is  the  way  you  may  always  expect  to  be 
used.'  It  was  also  said,  that  whenever  we  were  in  great 
necessity,  you  would  help  us.  When  the  Indians  on  the 
Maumee  were  first  about  to  sell  their  lands,  we  heard  it 
with  both  ears,  but  we  never  received  a  dollar.  The  Chip- 
pewas,  the  Pottowattomies,  and  the  Ottawas,  were  originally 
but  one  nation.  We  separated  from  each  other  near  Mic- 
hilmackinac.  We  were  related  by  the  ties  of  blood,  lang 
uage,  and  interest ;  but  in  the  course  of  a  long  time  these 
things  have  been  forgotten,  and  both  nations  have  sold  their 
lands,  without  consulting  us.  Our  brothers,  the  Chippewas, 
have  also  sold  you  a  tract  of  land  at  Saganan.  People  are 
constantly  passing  through  the  country,  but  we  received 
neither  invitation  nor  money.  It  is  surprising  that  the  Pot 
towattomies,  Ottowas,  and  Chippewas,  who  are  all  one  na- 
tion,,should  sell  their  lands  without  giving  each  other  notice. 
Have  we  then  degenerated  so  much  that  we  can  no  longer 
trust  one  another  ?  Perhaps  the  Pottowattomies  may  think 
I  have  come  here  on  a  begging  journey,  that  I  wish  to  claim 
a  share  of  lands  to  which  my  people  are  not  entitled.  I  tell 
them  it  is  not  so.  We  have  never  begged,  and  shall  not 
now  commence.  When  I  went  to  Detroit  last  fall,  Gover 
nor  Cass  told  me  to  come  to  this  place,  at  this  time,  and 
listen  to  what  he  had  to  say  in  council.  As  we  live  a  great 
way  in  the  woods,  and  never  see  white  people  except  in  the 
fall,  when  the  traders  come  among  us,  we  have  not  so  many 
opportunities  to  profit  by  this  intercourse  as  our  neigbours, 
and  to  get  what  necessaries  we  require ;  but  we  make  out  to 
lire  independently,  and  trade  upon  our  own  lands.  We  have, 
heretofore,  received  nothing  less  than  justice  from  the  Amer 
icans,  and  all  we  expect,  in  the  present  treaty,  is  a  full 
proportion  of  the  money  and  e;oods  " 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  289 


SPEECH  OF  BLACK  HAWK  WHEN  HE   SURRENDERED   HIM- 
SELF  TO  THE  AGENT  AT  PRAIRE  DU  CHIEN. 

"  You  have  taken  me  prisoner  with  all  my  warriors.  .1 
am  much  grieved,  for  I  expected,  if  I  did  not  defeat  you,  to 
hold  out  much  longer,  and  give  you  more  trouble  before  I 
surrendered.  I  tried  hard  to  bring  you  into  ambush,  but 
your  last  general  understands  Indian  fighting.  I  determin 
ed  to  rush  on  you,  and  fight  you  face  to  face,  I  fought  hard. 
But  your  guns  were  well  aimed.  The  bullets  flew  like  birds 
in  the  air,  and  whizzed  by  our  ears  like  the  wind  through 
the  trees  in  winter.  My  ^Yarriors  fell  around  me ;  it  began 
to  look  dismal.  I  saw  my  evil  day  at  hand.  The  sun  rose 
dim  on  us  in  the  morning,  and  at  night  it  sank  in  a  dark  cloud, 
and  looked  like  a  ball  of  fire.  That  was  the  last  sun  that 
shone  on  Black  Hawk.  His  heart  is  dead,  and  no  longer 
beats  quick  in  his  bosom.  He  is  now  a  prisoner  to  the  white 
men;  they  will  do  with  him  as  they  wish.  But  he  can  stand 
torture,  and  is  not  afraid  of  death.  He  is  no  coward.  Black 
Hawk  is  an  Indian. 

"  He  has  done  nothing  for  which  an  Indian  ought  to  be 
ashamed.  He  has  fought  for  his  countrymen,  the  squaw* 
and  papooses,  against  white  men,  who  came,  year  after  year 
to  cheat  them  and  take  away  their  lands.  You  know  thf 
cause  of  our  making  war.  It  is  known  to  all  white  men 
They  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  it.  The  white  men  despise 
the  Indians,  and  drivfe  them  from  their  homes.  But  the  IQ 
dians  are  not  deceitful.  The  white  men  speak  bad  of  th? 
Indian,  and  look  at  him  spitefully.  But  the  Indian  does  no^ 
tell  lies  ;  Indians  do  not  steal. 

"  An  Indian,  who  is  as  bad  as  the  white  men  could  not 
live  in  our  nation ;  he  would  be  put  to  death,  and  eat  up  by 
the  wolves.  The  white  men  are  bad  schoolmasters ;  they 
carry  false  looks,  and  deal  in  false  actions ;  they  smile  in  the 
face  of  the  poor  Indian  to  cheat  him ;  they  shake  them  by 
the  hand  to  gain  their  confidence,  to  make  them  drunk,  to 
deceive  them,  and  ruin  our  wives.  We  told  them  to  let  us 

25 


290  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

• 

alone,  and  keep  away  from  us ;  but  they  followed  on,  and 
beset  our  paths,  and  they  coiled  themselves  among  us,  like 
the  snake.  They  poisoned  LS  by  their  touch.  We  are  not 
safe.  We  lived  in  danger.  We  were  becoming  like  them, 
hypocrites  and  liars,  adulterers  and  lazy  drones,  all  talkers, 
and  no  workers.  We  looked  up  to  the  Great  Spirit.  WTe 
went  to  our  father.  We  were  encouraged.  His  great  coun 
cil  gave  us  fair  words  and  big  promises,  but  we  got  no  sat 
isfaction,  things  were  growing  worse.  There  were  no  deer 
in  the  forest.  The  opossum  and  beaver  were  fled ;  the  springs 
were  drying  up,  and  our  squaws  and  papooses  without  victu 
als  to  keep  them  from  starving ;  we  called  a  great  council, 
and  built  a  large  fire.  The  spirit  of  our  fathers  arose  and 
spoke  to  us  to  avenge  our  wrongs  or  die.  W^e  all  spoke  be 
fore  the  council  fire.  It  was  warm  and  pleasant.  We  set 
up  the  wTar  whoop,  and  dug  up  the  tomakawk;  our  knives 
were  ready,  and  the  heart  of  Black  Hawk  swelled  high  in 
his  bosom,  when  he  led  his  warriors  to  battle.  He  is  satisfied. 
He  will  go  to  the  world  of  spirits  contented.  He  has  done 
his  duty.  His  father  will  meet  him,  there,  and  commend 
him. 

"  Black  Hawk  is  a  true  Indian,  and  disdains  to  cry  like 
a  woman.  He  feels  for  his  wife,  his  children,  and  friends. 
But  he  does  not  care  for  himself.  He  cares  for  the  nation 
and  the  Indians.  They  will  suffer.  He  laments  their  fate. 
The  white  men  do  not  scalp  the  head ;  but  they  do  worse — 
they  poison  the  heart ;  it  is  not  pure  with  them.  His  coun 
tryman  will  not  be  scalped,  but  they  will,  in  a  few  years,  be 
come  like  the  white  men,  so  that  you  can't  trust  them,  and 
there  must  be,  as  in  the  white  settlements  nearly  as  many 
officers  as  men,  to  take  care  of  them  and  keep  them  in  order 
"  Farewell,  my  nation !  Black  Hawk  tried  to  save  you,  ar 
avenge  your  wrongs.  He  drank  the  blood  of  some  of  tl>~ 
whites.  He  has  been  taken  prisoner,  and  his  plans  are  stop- 
pedi  He  can  do  no  more.  He  is  near  his  end  His  sun  if 
setting,  and  he  will  rise  no  more.  Farewell  to  Black 
Hawk" 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  291 


SPEECH  OF  THE  ONONDAGAS  AND  CAYUGAS  TO  THE 
TWO  GOVERNORS  OF  VIRGINIA  AND  NEW  YORK. 

"  Brother  Corlear — Your  Sachem  (meaning  the  king)  is 
a  great  Sachem,  and  we  are  but  a  small  people  :  when  the 
English  came  in  first  to  Manhattan  (New  York)  Aragiske 
(Virginia)  and  to  Yakokranogary,  (Maryland)  they  were 
then  but  a  small  people,  and  we  were  great  then  ;  because 
we  found  you  a  good  people,  we  treated  you  kindly  and 
gave  you- land;  we  hope  therefore  now  that  you  are  great 
and  we  small,  you  will  protect  us  from  the  French.  If  you 
do  not  we  shall  lose  all  our  hunting  and  beavers,  the  French 
will  get  all  our  beavers.  The  reason  they  are  now  angry 
with  us,  is  because  we  carry  our  beaver  to  our  brethren.  We 
have  put  our  lands  and  ourselves  under  the  protection  of  the 
great  Duke  of  York,  the  brother  of  your  great  Sachem  who 
is  likewise  a  great  Sachem.  We  have  annexed  the  Sus- 
quehanna  River,  which  was  won  by  the  sword,  to  their  gov 
ernment  ;  and  we  desire  it  may  be  a  branch  of  the  great  tree 
that  grows  in  this  place;  the  top  of  which  reaches  the  suh, 
and  its  branches  shelter  us  from  the  French  and  all  other  na 
tions.  Our  fire  burns  in  your  houses,  and  your  fire  burns  with 
us ;  we  desire  it  may  be  so  always.  But  we  will  not  that 
any  of  the  great  Penn's  people  settle  upon  the  Susquehanna 
River,  for  we  have  no  other  land  for  our  children ;  our  young 
men  are  soldiers,  and  when  they  are  provoked  they  are  like 
wolves  in  the  woods,  as  you  Sachem  of  Virginia,  very  well 
know.  We  have  put  ourselves  under  the  great  Sachem 
Charlen,  that  lives  on  the  other  side  of  the  great  lake  (the 
Atlantic  Ocean ;)  we  give  these  two  wThite  dressed  deer 
skins  to  send  to  the  great.  Sachem,  that  he  may  write  on 
them,  and  put  a  great  red  seal  to  them,  to  confirm  what  we 
now  do,  and  put  the  Susquehanna  River  and  all  the  rest  of 
our  land  under  the  great  Duke  of  York,  and  give  that  land 
to  none  else.  Our  brethren,  his  people,  have  been  like  fa 
thers  to  our  wives  and  children,  and  have  given  us  bread 
when  we  were  ir  need  of  it;  we  will  not  therefore  join  ov» 


292  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

selves  or  our  *and  to  any  other  government  but  this.  "We 
desire  Corlear,*  our  governor,  may  send  this  our  proposition 
to  the  great  Sachem  Charles"  who  dwells  on  the  other  side 
of  the  great  lake,  with  this  belt  of  wampum,  and  this  other 
small  belt,  to  the  Duke  of  York  his  brother,  and  we  give  you 
Corlear  this  beaver  that  you  may  send  over  the  proposition. 

"  You  great  man  of  Virginia,  we  let  you  know  that  the 
great  Penn  did  speak  to  us  here,  in  Corlear's  house,  by  his 
agents,  and  desirH  to  buy  the  Susquehanna  River  of  us ;  but 
we  would  not  hearken  to  him,  for  we  had  fastened  it  to  this 
government. 

"  We  desire  you  therefore  to  bear  witness  of  what  we  do 
now,  and  that  we  now  confirm  what  we  have  done  before ; 
let  your  friend  that  lives  on  the  other  side  of  the  great  lake, 
know  this,  that  we,  being  tree  people,  though  united  to  the 
English,  and  may  give  our  land  to  the  Sachem  we  like  best ; 
we  give  this  beaver  to  remember  what  we  say." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Senecas  they  addressed  Lord  Howard 
in  the  following  manner  : 

"  We  have  heard  and  understood  what  mischief  has  been 
don.e  in  Virginia;  we  have  it  perfect  as  if  it  were  on  our 
finger's  end.  0  Corlear!  we  thank  you  for  having  been 
our  intercessor,  so  that  the  axe  has  not  fallen  on  us ;  and 
you  Assarigoa,  Great  Sachem  of  Virginia,  we  thank  you 
for  burying  all  evil  in  the  pit.  We  are  informod  that  the 
Mohawks,  Oneydoes,  Onondagas,  and  Cayugas,  have  buried 
them  already.  Now  we  that  live  remotest  off,  are  come  to 
do  the  same,  and  to  include  in  the  chain  the  Cahnowas  your 
friends.  We  desire  therefore  that  an  axe  on  our  part  may 
be  buried  writh  one  of  Assarigoa's.  O  Corlear,  O  Corlear ! 
we  thank  you  for  laying  hold  of  one  end  of  the  axe ;  and  we 
thank  you,  great  Governor  of  Virginia,  not  only  for  throw 
ing  aside  the  axe,  but  more  especially  for  you  putting  all 
evil  from  your  heart.  Now  we  have  a  new  chain,  a  strong 
and  a  straight  chain  that  can  not  be  broken ;  the  tree  of 
peace  is  planted  so  firmly,  that  it  cannot  be  removed ;  let  u£ 

*  The  name  they  gave  the  Governor  car  &*w  1'orK. 


i 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  293 

on  both  sides  hold  the  chain  fast.  We  understand  what 
you  said  of  the  great  Sachem  that  lives  on  the  other  side  of 
the  great  water.  You  tell  us  that  the  Cahnowas  will  come 
hither  to  strengthen  the  chain ;  let  them  not  make  any  ex 
cuse  that  they  are  old  and  feeble,  or  that  their  feet  are  sore. 
If  the  old  Sachem  cannot,  let  the  young  men  come ;  we  shall 
not  fail  to  come  hither,  though  we  live  farthest  off,  and  then 
the  new  chain  will  be  stronger  and  brighter.  We  under 
stand  that  because  of  the  mischief  that  has  been  -done  to 
the  people  and  castles  of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  we  must 
not  come  to  the  heads  of  your  rivers,  nor  near  your  planta 
tions,  but  keep  on  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  for  there  we  laj 
down  our  arms  as  friends ;  we  shall  not  be  trusted  for  the  fu 
ture,  but  looked  on  as  robbers. 

"  W^e  agree,  however,  to  the  proposition,  and  shall  wholly 
stay  away  from  Virginia.  And  then  we  do  no  gratitude  to 
Corlear,  who  has  been  at  so  great  pains  to  persuade  your 
great  Governor  of  Virginia  to  forget  what  is  past;  you  are 
wise  in  giving  ear  to  Corlear's  advice,  for  we  shall  now  go 
a  path  which  was  never  trod  before.  We  have  now  done 
speaking  to  Corlear  and  the  governor  of  Virginia,  let  the 
chain  be  forever  kept  clear  and  bright  by  him,  and  we  shall 
do  the  same. 

"  The  other  nations  from  the  Mohawk's  country  to  the 
Cayugas  have  delivered  up  the  Susquehanna  River,  and  all 
the  country  to  Corlear's  government :  we  confirm  what  they 
have  done  by  giving  this  belt." 

On  another  ocasion  the  Senecas  replied  to  Lord  Howard 
at  Albany,  when  messengers  had  arrived  from  the  governor 
of  Canada  with  complaints  against  them,  as  follows : 

"  We  were  sent  for  and  are  come,  and  have  heard  what 
you  said  to  us,  that  Corlear  has  great  complaint  of  us,  both 
from  Virginia  and  Canada;  what  they  complain  of  from 
Canada  may  possibly  be  true,  that  some  of  our  young  mer 
have  taken  some  of  their  goods,  but  Younendio,  the  gover 
nor  of  Canada,  is  the  cause  of  it.  He  not  only  permits  his 
people  to  carry  ammunition,  guns,  powder,  lead,  and  axes, 
to  the  Ticebticebr 07100ns,  our  enemies,  but  send?  them  truth*" 

25* 


94  OIUGIN    ur    rr,.. 

on  purpose  ;  these  guns  which  he  sends,  knock  our  oeaver- 
hunters  on  the  head,  and  our  enemies  carry  the  beaver  to 
Canada,  thaj;  we  would  have  brought  our  brethren.  Our 
beaver-hunters  are  soldiers,  and  could  bear  this  no  longer 
They  met  some  French  in  their  way  to  our  enemies,  and 
very  near  them,  carrying  ammunition,  which  our  men  took 
from  them.  This  is  agreeable  to  our  custom  in  wars  ;  and 
we  may  therefore  openly  own  it,  though  we  know  not  wheth 
er  it  be  practised  by  the  Christians  in  such  like  cases. 

"  When  the  governor  of  Canada  speaks  to  us  of  the  chain, 
he  calls  us  children,  and  saith,  I  am  your  father,  you  must 
hold  fast  the  chain,  and  I  will  do  the  same,  I  will  protect 
you  as  a  father  doth  his  children.  Is  this  protection,  to 
speak  thus  with  his  lips,  and  at  the  same  time  to  knock  us 
on  the  head,  by  assisting  our  enemies  with  ammunition  1 
He  always  says  I  am  your  father,  and  you  are  my  children ; 
and  yet  he  is  angry  with  his  children,  for  taking  these  goods. 
But  O  Corlear !  O  Assarigoa,  we  must  complain  to  you ;  you 
Corlear  are  a  lord,  and  govern  this  country ;  is  it  j'ist  that 
our  father  is  going  to  fight  with  us  for  these  things,  or  is  it 
well  done?  We  i ejoice  when  La  Sal  was  sent  over  the 
great  water ;  and  when  Perot  was  removed,  because  they 
had  furnished  our  enemies  with  ammunition ;  but  we  are 
disappointed  in  our  hopes,  for  we  find  our  enemies  are  still 
supplied.  Is  this  well  done  ?  Yea  he  often  forbids  us  to 
make  war  on  any  of  the  nations  with  whom  he  trades ;  and 
ac  the  same  time  furnishes  them  with  all  sorts  of  ammunition , 
to  enable  them  to  destroy  us. 

"  Thus  far,  in  answer  to  the  complaint,  the  governor  of 
Canada  has  made  of  us  to  Corlear. 

"  Corlear  said  to  us,  that  satisfaction  must  be  made  to  the 
French,  for  the  mischief  we  have  done  them. 

"  This  he  said  before  he  had  heard  our  answer.  Now  let 
him  that  has  inspection  over  all  our  countries,  on  whom  ou^ 
eyes  are  fixed,  let  him,  even  Corlear,  judge  and  determine 
If  you  say  that  it  must  be  paid,  we  shall  pay  it  but  we  can 
not  live  without  free  beaver  hunting.  Corlear,  hear  what 
vte  say ;  we  thank  you  for  the  duke's  arms,  which  you  have 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  295 

given  us  to  put  in  our  castles,  as  a  defence  to  them.  You 
command  them.  Have  you  wandered  out  of  the  way,  as  the 
governor  of  Canada  says  1  We  do  not  threaten  him  with 
war,  as  he  threatens  us.  What  shall  we  do  1  Shall  we 
run  away,  or  shall  we  sit  still  in  our  houses  ?  What  shall 
we  do  ?  We  speak  to  him  that  governs  and  commands  us 

"  Now  Corlear  and  Assarigoa,  and  all  good  people  here 
present,  remember  what  we  have  announced  to  the  complaints 
of  the  Governor  of  Canada ;  yea,  we  wish  that  what  we 
here  said,  may  come  to  his  ears." 


CANASSATIEGO'S  SPEECH. 

At  a  council  held  in  Philadelphia,  July,  1742,  attended  by  sundry 
chiefs  from  the  Six  Nations,  the  Dela  wares  and  Folk  Indians  he  thus 
spoke  : 

% 

"  Brethren,  the  Governor  and  Council, — the  other  day  you 
informed  us  of  the  misbehaviour  of  our  cousins,  the  Dela- 
warcs,  with  respect  to  their  continuing  to  claim  and  refu 
sing  to  remove  from  some  land  on  the  river  Delaware,  not 
withstanding  their  ancestors  had  sold  it  by  deed,  under  their 
hands  and  seals  to  the  proprietors  for  a  valuable  consider 
ation  upwards  of  fifty  years  ago,  and  that  notwithstanding 
that  they  themselves  had  also  not  many  years  ago,  after  a 
long  and  full  examination  ratified  that  deed  of  their  ances 
tors,  and  gave  a  fresh  one  under  their  hands  and  seals ;  and 
then  you  requested  us  to  remove  them,  enforcing  your  re 
quest  with  a  string  of  wampum.  Afterwards  we  laid  on 
the  table  our  own  letters  of  Conrad  Weiser,  some  of  our  cou 
sins'  letters,  and  the  several  writings  to  prove  the  charge 
against  our  cousins,  with  a  draft  of  the  land  in  dispute. 
We  now  tell  you  we  have  perused  all  these  several  papers. 
We  see  with  our  own  eyes  that  they  have  been  a  very  un 
ruly  people,  and  are  altogether  in  the  wrong  in  their  deal 
ings  with  you. 

"  We  have  concluded  to  remove  them,  and  oblige  them  to 


296  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

go  over  the  river  Delaware,  and  quit  all  claim  to  any  lands 
on  this  side  for  the  future,  since  they  have  received  pay  for 
them,  and  it  is  gone  through  their  guts  long  ago.  To  con 
firm  to  you  that  we  will  see  your  request  executed,  we  lay 
down  this  string  of  wampum  in  return  for  yours." 

Then  turning  to  the  Delawares,  holding  a  belt  of  wampum 
in  his  hand,  he  spoke  to  them  as  follows  : 

"  Cousins, — Let  the  belt  of  wampum  serve  to  chastise  you. 
You  ought  to  be  taken  by  the  hair  of  the  head  and  shaken 
severely,  till  you  recover  your  senses  and  become  sober. 
You  don't  know  what  ground  you  stand  on,  nor  what  you 
are  doing.  Our  brother  Onas's*  cause  is  very  just,  and  plain, 
and  his  intentions  are  to  preserve  friendship  ;  on  the  other 
band,  your  cause  is  bad,  your  heart  far  from  being  upright ; 
and  you  are  maliciously  bent  to  break  the  chain  of  friend 
ship  with  our  brother  Onas  and  his  people.  We  have  seen 
with  our  eyes  a  deed  signed  by  nine  of  our  ancestors  about 
fifty  years  ago,  for  this  very  land,  and  a  release  signed  rtbt 
many  years  since  by  some  of  yourselves  and  chiefs  now  liv 
ing,  to  the  number  of  fifteen  or  upwards.  But  how  come 
you  to  take  upon  you,  to  sell  land  at  all  ?  We  conquered 
you,  we  made  women  of  you ;  you  know  you  are  women, 
and  can  no  more  sell  land  than  women  ;  nor  is  it  fit  you 
should  have  the  power  of  selling  land,  since  you  would 
abuse  it.  This  land  that  you  claim  has  gone  through  your 
guts.  You  have  been  furnished  with  clothes,  meat,  and 
drink,  by  the  goods  paid  for  it%  and  now  you  want  it  again 
like  children  as  you  are.  But  what  matters  ?  You  sell  land 
in  the  dark.  Did  you  ever  tell  us  that  you  had  sold  tliem 
land  1  Did  we  ever  receive  any  part,  even  the  value  of  a 
pipe  shank  from  you  for  it  ?  You  have  told  us  a  blind  story, 
that  you  sent  a  messenger  to  us,  to  inform  us  of  the  sale  ; 
but  he  never  came  among  us,  nor  we  never  heard  any  thing 
about  it :  this  is  acting  in  the  dark,  and  very  different  from 
the  conduct  our  Six  Nations  observe  in  the  sale  of  lands ; 


*Name  of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 


NORTH  AMERICAN    INDIANS.  297 

on  such  occasions  they  give  public  notice,  and  invite  all  the 
Indians  of  the  united  nations,  and  give  them  all  a  share  of 
the  presents  they  receive  for  their  lands.  This  is  the  beha 
viour  of  the  wise  nations.  But  we  find  you  are  none  of  our 
blood  ;  you  act  a  distant  part,  not  only  in  this  but  in  other 
matters ;  your  ears  are  even  open  to  slanderous  reports  about 
our  brethren ;  you  receive  them  with  as  much  greediness  as 
lewd  women  receive  the  embraces  of  bad  men  ;  and  for  all 
these  reasons  we  charge  you  to  remove  instantly.  We.  don't 
give  you  the  liberty  to  think  about  it.  You  are  women, 
take  the  advice  of  a  wise  man,  and  remove  immediately. 
You  may  remove  to  the  other  side  of  the  Delaware,  where 
you  came  from ;  but  we  do  not  know  whether,  considering 
how  you  have  demeaned  yourselves,  you  will  be  permitted 
to  live  there,  or  whether  you  have  not  swallowed  that  land 
down  your  throats,  as  well  as  the  land  on  this  side.  We 
therefore  assign  you  two  places,  to  go  either  to  Uzoman  or 
Shamokin ;  you  may  go  to  either  of  these  places,  and  then 
wTe  shall  have  you  more  under  our  eye,  and  shall  see  how 
you  behave ;  don't  deliberate,  but  remove  away  and  take  the 
belt  of  wampum.  After  our  just  reproof,  and  absolute  order 
to  depart  from  the  land,  you  are  now  to  take  notice  of  what 
we  have  further  to  say  to  you. 

"This  string  of  wampum  serves  to  forbid  you,  your  chil 
dren,  and  grandchildren  to  the  latest  posterity,  for  ever, 
meddling  in  land  affairs ;  neither  you,  nor  any  who  shall  de 
scend  from  you,  are  ever  hereafter  to  presume  to  sell  any 
land  ;  for  which  purpose  you  are  to  preserve  this  string,  in 
memory  of  what  your  uncles  have  this  day  given  you  in 
charge.  We  have  some*  other  business  to  transact  with  our 
brothers ;  and  therefore  depart  the  council,  and  collider 
what  has  been  said  to  you." 

Canassatiego  then  spoke  to  the  Council : 

"  Brethren, — We  called  at  oar  old  friend  James  Logan,  in 
our  way  to  the  city,  and  to  our  grief  we  found  him  hid  in 
the  bushes,  and#retired  through  infirmities  from  public  bu 
siness  ;  we  pressed  him  to  leave  his  retirement,  and  prevail 
ed  with  hirn  to  assist  once  more  on  our  account  at  your  coun- 


298  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

cils.  We  hope,  notwithstanding  his  age  and  the  effect  of 
a  fit  of  sickness,  which  we  understand  has  hurt  his  constitu 
tion,  that  he  may  yet  continue  a  long  time  to  assist  the  pro 
vinces  with  his  counsels.  He  is  a  wise  man  and  a  fast  friend 
to  the  Indians ;  and  we  desire  when  his  soul  goes  to  God, 
you  may  choose  in  his  room  just  such  another  person,  of  the 
same  prudence  and  ability  in  counselling,  and  of  the  same 
tender  disposition  and  affection  for  the  Indians.  In  testi 
mony  of  our  gratitude  for  all  his  services,  and  because  he 
was  so  good  as  to  leave  his  country-house,  and  follow  us  to 
town,  and  be  at  the  trouble  in  this  his  advanced  age  to  at 
tend  the  council,  we  present  him  with  this  bundle  of  skins. 
Brethren, — It  is  always  our  way  at  the  conclusion  of  a 
treaty  to  desire  you  will  use  you  endeavours  with  the  traders, 
that  they  may  sell  their  goods  cheaper,  and  give  us  better 
price  for  our  deer  skins.  Whenever  any  particular  sort  of 
Indian  goods  is  scarce,  they  constantly  make  us  pay  the 
dearer  on  that  account.  We  must  now  use  the  same  argu 
ment  with  them.  Our  deer  are  killed  in  such  quantities,  and 
our  hunting  countries  growing  less  every  day, by  the  settle 
ment  of  white  people,  that  game  is  now  difficult  to  find,  and 
we  must  go  a  great  way  in  quest  of  it ;  they  therefore 
ought  to  give  us  a  better  price  for  our  skins,  and  we  desire 
you  would  speak  to  them  to  do  so.  We  have  been  stinted 
in  the  article  of  rum  in  town,  we  desire  you  will  open  the 
rum  bottle,  and  give  to  us  in  greater  abundance  on  the  road ; 
to  enforce  this  request,  we  present  you  a  bundle  of  skins. 

Brethren, — When  we  first  came  to  you  houses,  we  found 
them  clean  and  in  order,  but  we  have  staid  so  long  as  to 
dirty  them,  which  is  to  be  imputed  to  our  different  way  of 
livingjjfrom  the  white  people ;  and  therefore,  as  we  cannot 
but  have  been  disagreeable  to  you  on  this  account,  we  pre 
sent  you  with  some  skins  to  make  your  houses  clean,  and  put 
them  in  the  same  condition  they  were  in  when  we  came 
among  you. 

Brethren, — The  business  of  the  Five  Nations  is  of  great 
consequence,  and  requires  a  skilful,  honest  person  to  go  be 
tween  us ;  one  in  whom  both  you  and  me  can  place  confi- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  299 

dence.  We  esteem  our  present  interpreter  to  be  such  a 
person,  equally  faithful  in  the  interpretation  of  whatever  is 
said  to  him  by  either  of  us,  equally  allied  to  both ;  he  is  of 
our  nation,  and  a  member  of  our  council,  as  well  as  of 
yours. 

When  we  adopted  him,  we  divided  him  in  two  equal 
parts ;  one  we  kept  for  ourselves,  and  one  we  left  for  you. 
He  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  us,  wore  out  his  shoes 
in  our  messages,  and  dirtied  his  clothes  by  being  among 
us  ;  so  that  he  has  become  as  nasty  as  an  Indian.  In  re 
turn  for  these  services  we  recommend  him  to  your  gener 
osity  ;  and  on  our  own  behalf  we  give  him*  five  skins  to  buy 
him  clothes  and  shoes. 

Brethren, — We  have  still  one  favour  to  ask ;  one  treaty 
and  all  we  have  to  say  about  public  business  is  now  over, 
and  to-morrow  we  design  to  leave  you.  We  hope,  as  you 
have  given  us  plenty  of  good  provisions  whilst  in  the  town, 
that  you  will  continue  your  goodness  so  far  as  to  supply  us 
on  the  road.  And  we  likewise  desire  you  will  provide  us 
with  wagons  to  carry  our  goods  to  the  place  where  they 
are  to  be  conveyed  by  water 


GACHRADODOW'S  SPEECH. 

At  a  council,  held  at  Lancaster,  June  30th,  1744,  when  the  Gover 
nor  observed  that  certain  lands  belonged  to  the  great  King. 

Gachradodow,  of  the  Six  Nations,  thus  spoke — Great 
Assaragoa* — The  world  at  the  first  was  made  on  the  other 
side  of  the  great  water,  different  from  what  it  is  on  this  side, 
as  may  be  known  from  the  different  colours  of  our  skins  and 
of  our  flesh  ;  and  that  which  you  calljustice  may  not  be  so 
among  us;  you  have  your  laws  and  outlaws,  and  so  have  we. 
The  great  King  might  send  you  over  to  conquer  the  Indians ; 

*  Such  was  the  name  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia. 


300  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

but  it  looks  to  us  that  God  did  not  approve  it;  if  he  had, 
he  would  not  have  placed  the  sea  where  it  i»,  as  the  limits 
between  us  and  you. 

Brother  Jlssaragoa, — Though  great  things  are  well  re 
membered  among  us,  yet  we  don't  remember  that  we  were 
ever  conquered  by  the  great  King,  or  that  we  have  been  em 
ployed  by  that  great  King  to  conquer  others ;  if  it  was  so, 
it  is  beyond  our  memory.  We  do  remember  we  were  em 
ployed  by  Maryland  to  conquer  the  Conestogoes,  and  that 
the  second  time  we  were  at  war  with,  them,  we  carried 
them  all  off 

Brother  Jlssarccgoa, — You  charge  us  with  not  acting  agree 
ably  to  our  peace  with  the  Catawbas.  We  will  repeat  to 
you  truly  what  was  done  ;  the  Governor  of  New- York  at  Al 
bany,  in  behalf  of  Assaragoa,  gave  us  several  belts  of  wam 
pum  from  the  Cherokees  and  Catawbas,  and  we  agreed  to 
a  peace,  if  those  nations  would  send  some  of  their  great 
men  to  us  to  confirm  it  face  to  face,  and  that  they  would 
trade  with  us  ;  and  desired  that  they  would  appoint  a  time 
to  meet  at  Albany  for  that  purpose,  but  they  never  came. 

Brother  Assaragoa, — We  then  desired  a  letter  might  be 
sent  to  the  Catawbas  and  Cherokees,  to  desire  them  to  come 
down  and  confirm  the  peace.  It  was  long  before  an  answer 
came,  but  we  met  the  Cherokees  and  confirmed  the  peace, 
and  sent  some  of  our  people  to  take  care  of  them  until  they 
returned  to  their  own  country.  The  Catawbas  refused  to 
come,  and  sent  us  word  that  we  were  but  women,  and  that 
they  were  men,  and  double  men ;  and  that  they  would  make 
women  of  us,  and  would  be  always  at  war  with  us ;  they 
are  a  deceitful  people  ;  and  brother  Assaragoa  is  deceived  by 
them ;  we  don't  blame  him  for  it,  but  are  sorry  he  is  so  de 
ceived. 

Brother  Jlssaragoa, — We  have  confirmed  the  peace  with 
the  Cherokees,  but  not  with  the  Catawbas ;  they  have  been 
treacherous  and  know  it,  so  that  the  war  must  continue  till 
one  of  us  is  destroyed ;  thus  we  think  proper  to  tell  you, 
that  you  may  not  be  troubled  at  what  we  do  to  the  Catawbas. 
Brother  Mssaragoa, — We  will  now  speak  to  the  point  be- 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  301 

tween  us.  It  is  always  a  custom  among  brethren  and  stran 
gers  to  use  each  other  kindly ;  you  have  some  very  ill  na- 
tured  people  living  there ;  so  we  desire  the  persons  in  pow 
er  may  know  that  we  are  to  have  reasonable  victuals  when 
we  want. 

You  know  very  well  when  the  white  people  came  first 
here,  they  were  poor  ;  but  now  they  have  got  lands  and  are 
by  them  become  rich,  and  we  are  now  poor ;  what  little  we 
have  had  for  the  land  goes  soon  away,  but  the  land  lasts  for 
ever.  You  told  us  you  had  brought  with  you  a  chest  of 
goods,  and  that  you  have  the  key  in  your  pockets;  but  we 
have  never  seen  the  chest,  nor  the  goods  that  are  in  it ;  it 
may  be  small  and  the  goods  may  be  few  ;  we  want  to  see 
them  and  are  desirous  to  come  to  some  conclusion.  We 
have  been  sleeping  here  these  two  days  past,  and  have  not 
done  any  thing  to  the  purpose. 


THE  CHARACTER  OF   THE  FIVE   INDIAN  NATIONS  OF 
CANADA,  BY  LORD  CADWALLADER  COLDEN.* 

"  The  Five  Nations  are  a  poor  and  generally  called  a  bar 
barous  people,  bred  under  the  darkest  ignorance ;  and  yet 
a  bright  and  noble  genius  shines  through  these  clouds.  None 
of  the  greatest  Roman  heroes  have  discovered  a  greater  love 
of  country  or  contempt  of  death,  than  these  people  called 
barbarians  have  done,  when  liberty  came  in  competition. 
Indeed  I  think  our  Indians  have  outdone  the  Romans  in  this 
particular.  Some  of  the  greatest  of  those  Roman  heroes 
have  murdered  themselves  to  avoid  shame  or  torments ;  but 
our  Indians  have  refused  to  die  meanly,  or  with  but  little 
pain  when  they  thought  their  country's  honour  would  be  at 
sfyake  by  it ;  but  have  given  their  bodies  willingly  to  the 
most  cruel  torments  of  their  enemies,  to  show,  as  they  said, 
that  the  Five  Nations  consisted  of  men,  whose  courage  and 

•One  of  his  Majesty's  consuls,  Surveyor  General  of  New-Yo/k. 
26 


302  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

resolution  could  not  slacken.  But  what,  alas !  have  we 
Christians  done  to  make  them  better,  we  have  indeed  rea 
son  to  be  ashamed  that  these  infidels  by  our  conversation 
and  neighbourhood,  are  become  worse  than  they  were  before 
they  knew  us.  Instead  of  Virtue  we  have  only  taught 
them  Vice,  that  they  were  entirely  free  from  before  that 
time.  The  narrow  vices  of  private  interest,  have  occasion 
ed  this  and  will  occasion  greater,  even  public  mischief,  if 
the  governors  of  the  people  do  not  put  a  stop  to  these  grow 
ing  evils,  If  these  practices  be  winked  at,  instead  of  faith 
ful  friends  that  have  manfully  fought  our  battles  for  us,  the 
Five  Nations  will  become  faithless  thieves  and  robbers,  and 
join  with  every  enemy  that  can  give  hope  of  plunder. 

"  If  care  were  taken  to  plant  and  cultivate  in  them  that 
general  benevolence  to  mankind,  which  is  the  true  first 
principles  of  virtue,  it  would  effectually  eradicate  those  hor 
rid  vices  occasioned  by  their  unbounded  revenge  ;  and  then 
they  no  longer  would  deserve  the  name  of  barbarians,  but 
would  become  people  whose  friendship  might  add  honour 
to  the  British  nation. 

"  The  Greeks  and  Romans  were  once  as  much  barbarians 
as  our  Indians  are  now,  and  deified  the  heroes  that  first 
taught  them  those  virtues,  from  whence  the  grandeur  of 
those  renowned  nations  wholly  proceeded.  A  good  man 
however,  will  feel  more  real  satisfaction  and  pleasure  from  the 
sense  of  having  in  any  way  forwarded  the  civilizing  of  a 
barbarous  nation,  or  having  multiplied  the  number  of  good 
men,  than  from  the  fondest  hopes  of  such  extravagant  hon 
ours. 

"  The  Five  Nations  consist  of  so  many  tribes  or  nations 
joined  together,  without  any  superiority  of  one  over  the 
other  The  union  has  continued  so  long  that  nothing  is 
known  to  Europeans  of  the  origin  of  it.  They  are  known 
by  the  names  of  Mohawks,  Oneidoes,  Onondagas,  Cayugas, 
andjSennekas.  Each  of  these  nations  is  again  divided  into 
three  tribes  or  families,  who  distinguish  themselves  by  three 
different  names  or  ensigns ;  the  Tortoise,  the  Bear,  and  the 
Wolf;  and  the  Sachems,  or  old  men  of  these  families  put 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


303 


their  ensign  or  marks  of  their  family  to  every  public  paper, 
when  they  sign  it. 

"  Each  of  these  nations  is  a  republic  of  itself,  and  is  gov 
erned  in  all  public  affairs  by  its  own  Saehems,  the  authority 
of  these  rulers  is  gained  by  and  consists  wholly  in  the  opin 
ion  the  rest  of  the  nation  have  of  their  wisdom  and  integrity. 
They  never  execute  their  resolutions  by  force  upon  any  of 
their  people.  Honour  and  esteem  are  their  principal  re 
wards  ;  as  shame  and  being  despised  their  punishments. 
These  leaders  and  captains  in  like  manner  obtain  their  au 
thority  by  the  general  opinion  of  their  courage  and  conduct ; 
and  lose  it  by  a  failure  in  those  virtues.  These  great  men, 
both  Sachems  and  captains,  are  generally  poorer  than  the 
common  people,  for  they  uniformly  give  away  and  distri 
bute  all  the  presents  or  plunder  they  get  in  their  treaties  or 
in  war,  so  as  to  leave  nothing  to  themselves. 

"  There  is  not  a  man  in  the  ministry  of  the  Five  Nations, 
who  has  gained  his  office  otherwise  than  by  merit ;  there  is 
not  the  least  salary  or  any  sort  of  profit  annexed  to  any 
office  to  tempt  the  covetous  or  sordid  ;  but  on  the  comrary, 
every  unworthy  action  is  unavoidably  attended  with  the  for 
feiture  of  their  commission,  for  the  authority  is  only  the  es 
teem  of  the  people,  and  ceases  the  moment  that  esteem  is 
lost. 

"  The  Five  Nations  think  themselves  superior  to  man 
kind,  and  call  themselves  Ongue — honwe,  that  is,  men  sur 
passing  all  others.  All  the  nations  round  them  have  for 
many  years  entirely  submitted  to  them,  and  pay  a  yearly 
tribute  to  them  of  wampum."* 

*  Wampum  is  the  current  money  among  the  Indians ;  it  is  of  two  sorts, 
white  and  purple  :  the  white  is  worked  out  of  the  insides  of  the  great 
Congues  into  the  form  of  a  bead,  and  perforated,  so  as  to  be  strung  on 
leather  ;  the  purple  is  worked  out  of  the  inside  of  the  muscle  shell. 
They  are  wove  as  broad  as  one's  hand,  and  about  two  feet  long  :  these 
they  call  belts,  and  give  and  receive  them  at  their  treaties,  as  the  seals 
of  friendship.  For  lesser  motives  a  single  string  is  given  ;  every  head 
is  of  a  known  value  ;  and  a  belt  of  a  less  number  is  made  to  equal  one 
of  a  greater,  by  so  many  as  are  Avanted  being  fastened  to  the  belt  by  a 
string. 


304  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

The  following  continuation  of  their  character  is  by  James 
Buchannan,  Esq.,  of  New- York : 

"  They  dare  neither  make  war  nor  peace  without  the  con 
sent  of  the  Mohawks.  Two  old  men  of  this  tribe  common 
ly  go  about  every  year  or  two,  to  receive  this  tribute  ;  and  1 
have  had  opportunity  to  observe  what  anxiety  the  poor 
Indians  were  under  while  these  two  old  men  remained  in 
that  part  of  the  country  where  I  was.  An  old  Mohawk 
Sachem,  in  a  poor  blanket  and  dirty  shirt,  may  be  seen  issu 
ing  his  orders  with  as  arbitrary  authority  as  a  Roman  dic 
tator.  It  is  not,  however  for  the  sake  of  tribute  they  make 
war,  but  from  notions  of  glory,  which  they  have  ever  most 
strongly  imprinted  on  their  minds ;  and  the  further  they  go 
to  seek  an  enemy,  the  greater  glory  is  gained.  The  Five 
Nations  in  their  love  of  liberty  and  of  their  country,  in  their 
bravery  in  battle,  and  their  constancy  in  enduring  labour 
and  torments,  equal  the  fortitude  of  the  most  renowned  Ro 
mans. 

"  I  shall  finish  their  character  by  what  their  enemy  Mon 
sieur  De  la  Potherie  in  his  history  of  North  America,  says 
of  them ; '  when  we  speak  in  France  of  the  Five  Nations, 
they  are  thought,  by  a  common  mistake,  to  be  mere  bar 
barians,  always  thirsting  after  human  blood ;  but  their  true 
character  is  very  different.  They  are  indeed  the  fiercest 
and  most  formidable  people  in  North  America,  and  at  the 
same  time  are  a  polite  and  judicious  as  can  well  be  conceiv 
ed  ;  and  this  appears  from  the  management  of  all  the  af 
fairs  which  they  transact,  not  only  with  the  French  and 
English,  but  likewise  with  almost  all  the  Indian  nations  of 
this  vast  continent.' 

"  They  strictly  form  a  Roman  maxim,  to  increase  their 
strength  by  encouraging  other  nations  to  incorporate  with 
them,  and  adopt  many  captives  taken  in  battle,  who  after 
wards  have  become  Sachems  and  Captains.  The  cruelty  the 
Indians  use  in  war,  is  deservedly  held  in  abhorrence ;  but 
who  ever  has  read  the  history  of  the  far  famed  heroes  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  will  find  them  little,  if  at  all  better,  even 


NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS.  305 

in  this  respect.  Does  the  behaviour  of  Achilles  to  Hector's 
dead  body  appear  less  savage  !  But  Achilles  had  a  Homer 
to  blazon  forth  his  virtues  ;  not  so  with  the  unlettered  In 
dian  ;  every  pen  is  dipped  in  gall  against  him.  Witness 
the  Carthagenians,  and  Phoenicians  offering  their  children 
in  sacrifice,  and  in  latter  days  behold  men  professing  Chris 
tianity,  outstripping  all  true  or  fabled  cruelty,  blasphemously 
or  impiously,  under  the  idea  of  honouring  God. 

"  Previous  to  setting  out  on  any  warlike  expedition,  they 
have  a  feast,  to  which  all  the  noted  warriors  of  the  nation 
are  invited ;  when  they  have  the  war  dance  to  the  beat  of 
kettle  drums.  The  warriors  are  seated  on  two  rows  ;  each 
rises  in  turn,  and  sings  the  deeds  he  has  performed;  so  that 
they  work  up  their  spirits  to  a  high  degree  of  enthusiasm. 
They  come  to  these  dances  with  faces  painted  in  a  frightful 
manner  to  make  themselves  look  terrible  to  their  enemies. 
By  these  war  songs  they  preserve  the  history  of  their  great 
achievements.*  The  solemn  reception  of  these  warriors, 
and  the  acclamations  of  applause  which  they  receive  at  their 
return,  cannot  but  have  on  their  hearer  the  same  effect  in 
raising  an  emulation  for  glory,  that  a  triumph  had  on  the 
old  Romans.  After  their  prisoners  are  secured,  they  never 
offer  them  the  least  bad  treatment,  but  on  the  contrary  will 
rather  starve  themselves  than  suffer  them  to  want;  and  I 
have  been  always  assured  that  there  is  not  one  instance  of 
their  offering  the  least  violence  to  the  chastity  of  any  woman 
that  was  their  captive.  The  captives  are  generally  distri 
buted  among  those  who  have  lost  a  member  of  their  family 
in  battle.  If  they  are  accepted,  they  enjoy  all  the  privi 
leges  the  person  had;  but  if  otherwise,  they  die  in  torment 
to  satiate  the  revenge  of  those  who  refuse  them. 

"  They  use  neither  drum  nor  trumpet,  nor  any  kind  of  musi 
cal  instruments  in  their  wars ;  their  throats  serve  them  on 


*  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  all  nations  have  used  the  same  mean» 
to  record  and  bear  in  mind  their  history. 

26* 


306 


ORIGIN    OF   THF 


all  occasions.     We  find  the  same  was  practised  by  Homer*! 
heroes : 

Thrice  to  its  pitch,  his  lofty  voice  he  rears, 
O  friend  !  Ulysses'  shouts  invade  my  ears. 

The  hospitality  of  these  Indians  is  no  less  remarkable  than 
their  other  virtues.  As  soon  as  any  stranger  comes  among 
them,  they  are  sure  to  offer  him  victuals;  if  a  number  arrive, 
one  of  their  best  houses  is  cleaned  for  their  accommodation, 
and  not  unfrequently  they  are  accommodated  with  female 
society  while  they  remain  ;  but  this  latter  mark  of  simple 
hospitality  is  not  now  to  be  found  among  any  of  the  Indian 
tribes  who  have  had  much  intercourse  with  the  whites. 
The  two  following  traits  of  character  in  the  Mohawks,  M 
Golden  states  as  having  come  under  his  own  knowledge ; 
he  states  that  when  last  in  their  country,  the  Sachems  told 
him  they  had  an  Englishman  who  had  run  from  his  master 
in  New -York :  that  they  never  would  deliver  him  up  to  be 
punished,  but  that  they  would  pay  the  value  to  the  master. 
Another  man  made  his  escape  from  Albany  Jail,  where  he 
was  in  prison  for  debt ;  the  Mohawks  received  him,  and,  as 
they  protected  him  against  the  sheriff,  they  not  only  paid 
the  debt  for  him,  but  gave  him  land  over  and  above  suffi 
cient  for  a  good  farm  whereon  he  lived  when  M.  Golden 
was  last  there.' 

"  Polygamy  is  not  usual  among  them,  and  in  case  of  sep 
aration  according  to  the  natural  course  of  all  animals,  the 
children  follow  the  mother.  The  women  bring  forth  their 
Children  with  much  ease,  and  without  any  help,  and  soon 
after  delivery  return  to  their  usual  employment.  They  alone 
perform  all  the  drudgery  about  the  house,  plant  the  corn, 
labour  at  it,  cut  the  firewood,  carry  it  home  and  on  their 
marches  bear  the  burdens.  The  men,  disdaining  all  kind 
of  labour,  employ  themselves  alone  in  hunting ;  at  times 
when  it  is  not  proper  to  hunt,  the  old  men  are  found  in 
companies  in  conversation,  the  young  men  at  their  exer 
cises,  shooting  at  marks,  throwing  the  hatchet,  wrestling 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


307 


or  running  :  anc  the  women  all  busy  at  labour  in  the  fields. 
The  ancient  state  of  Lacedomon  resembles  that  of  the  Five 
Nations,  their  laws  and  customs  being  formed  to  render  the 
mind  and  bodies  of  the  people  fit  for  war.  Theft  is  very 
scandalous  and  rare.  There  is  one  vice  which  they  have 
acquired  since  they  became  acquainted  with  the  Europeans, 
of  which  they  knew  nothing  before,  drunkenness,  all,  males 
and  females,  are  awfully  given  to  this  vice ;  they  have  not 
been  taught  to  abhor  it ;  on  the  contray,  the  traders  encour 
age  it  for  the  profit  they  gain  on  the  Suque,  and  the  bar 
gains  they  obtain  while  intoxicated  ;  and  this  imported  vice, 
from  men  professing  Christianity,  has  destroyed  greater 
numbers  than  all  their  wars  and  diseases  put  together. 

"  As  to  what  religion  they  have  it  is  difficult  to  judge  of 
them,  because  the  Indians  that  speak  English  and  live 
near  us,  have  learned  many  things  of  us,  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  distinguish  the  notions  they  had  originally  among  them, 
from  those  they  have  learned  of  the  Christians.  It  is 
certain  they  have  no  kind  of  public  worship,  and  I  am  told 
they  have  no  radical  word  signifying  God  ;  that  is,  one  sim 
ple  expression  for  the  Deity,  but  use  a  compound  word  that 
signifies  preserver,  sustainer,  or  master  of  the  universe. 
Their  funeral  rites  seem  to  infer  an  idea  of  a  future  existence. 
They  make  a  large  hole  in  which  the  body  can  be  placed 
upright,  or  upon  its  haunches  ;  they  dress  the  corpse  in  all 
their  finery,  and  put  wampum  and  other  things  into  the 
grave  with  it  and  the  relations  suffer  not  grass  or  any  weeds 
to  grow  on  the  grave  or  near  it,  and  frequently  visit  it  with 
lamentations." 


AMERICA  PEOPLED  BY  A  MORE  CIVILIZED  RACE  THAN 

THE  PRESENT  RED  INDIANS. 
s 

At  what  period  the  continent  of  America  was  originally 
peopled,  is  a  question  which  has  not  as  yet  been  satisfac 
torily  proved ;  in  fact  all  the  sources  of  information  which 


308  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

have  been  hitherto  exhibited  to  the  philosophic  mind,  will 
not  be  sufficient  to  form  any  probable  conjecture  on  this 
head.  If  the  geological  constitution  of  America  be  atten 
tively  examined,  the  opinion  that  it  is  a  continent  more  re 
cently  formed  than  the  rest  of  the  globe,  will  not  stand. 

"  The  same  succession  of  stony  strata"  says  a  learned 
author,  "  is  found  no  less  in  the  new  world  than  in  the  old 
world.  At  a  height  superior  to  Mount  Blanc  petrified  sea 
shells  are  found  on  the  summit  of  the  Andes.  The  fossil 
bones  of  elephants,  are  spread  over  the  equinoctial  regions 
of  a  continent  where  living  elephants  do  not  exist ;  and 
these  bones  are  not  found  merely  in  low  plains,  but  in  the 
coldest  and  most  elevated  regions  of  the  Cordilleras.  There, 
as  well  as  in  the  old  world,  generations  of  animals  long  ex 
tinct,  have  preceded  those  which  now  exist  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe,  because  America 
has  been  but  recently  discovered,  that  therefore,  it  has  been 
but  recently  peopled.  The  comparative  thinness  of  its  popu 
lation  is  no  proof  to  the  contrary,  for  the  regions  of  Central 
Asia  are  as  thinly  peopled  as  the  Savannahs  of  New  Mexico 
and  Paraguay.  The  fact  is,  that  the  problem  of  the  first 
population  of  most  countries,  is  nearly  as  difficult  to  solve 
as  that  of  America.  The  reason  is  plain,  because  the  first 
population  of  a  country  is  generally  far  beyond  the  period 
of  its  history.  The  problem,  therefore,  of  the  population 
of  the  new  world,  is  no  more  within  the  province  of  history, 
than  questions  on  the  origin  of  plants  and  animals  are  in 
that  of  natural  science." 

It  has  been  frequently  proved  beyond  the  possibility  of  a 
doubt,  that  the  remains  of  a  more  polished  and  cultivated 
people  than  the  present  Red  Indians  of  North  America  do 
still  exist  in  different  parts  of  the  western  continent.  In 
the  absence  of  these  remains  the  vestiges  of  civilization 
wrhich  are  every  year  discovered  between  Lake  Ontario  and 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  even  towards  the  north-west  should 
sufficiently  prove  the  fact.  Mr.  Barton,  in  his  Observations 
on  some  Parts  of  Natural  History,  part  L,  has  collected  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  309 

scattered  hints  of  Kalm,  Carver,  and  others,  and  has  added 
a  plan  of  a  regular  work,  which  had  been  discovered  on  the 
banks  of  the  Muskingum,  near  its  junction  with  the  Ohio. 
These  remains  are  principally  stone  walls,  large  mounds  of 
earth,  and  a  combination  of  these  mounds  with  the  walls, 
suspected  to  have  been  fortifications.  In  some  ph  ces  the 
ditches  and  the  fortresses  are  said  to  have  been  plainly  seen ; 
in  others,  furrows,  as  if  the  land  had  been  ploughed.  The 
mounds  of  earth  are  of  two  kinds  ;  they  are  artificial  tumuli, 
designed  as  repositories  for  the  dead ;  or  they  are  of  a  great 
er  size  for  the  purpose  of  defending  the  adjacent  countiy; 
and  with  this  view  they  are  artificially  constructed,  or  advant 
age  is  taken  of  the  natural  eminences,  to  raise  them  into  a 
fortification. 

The  remains  near  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum,  are  sit 
uated  about  one  mile  above  the  junction  of  that  river  with 
the  Ohio,  and  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles  below  Fort  Pitt. 
They  consist  of  a  number  of  walls  and  other  elevations  of 
ditches,  &c.,  altogether  occupying  a  space  of  ground  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  to  twenty-five  or  twenty  feet  broad. 
The  town,  as  it  has  been  called,  is  a  large  level,  encom 
passed  by  walls,  nearly  in  the  form  of  a  square,  the  sides 
of  which  are  from  ninety-six  to  eighty-six  perches  in 
length.  These  walls  are,  in  general,  about  ten  feet  in  height 
above  the  level  on  which  they  stand,  and  about  twenty  feet 
in  diameter  at  the  base,  but  at  the  top  they  are  much  nar 
rower  ;  they  are  at  present  overgrown  with  vegetables  of 
different  kinds,  and  among  others,  with  trees  of  several  feet 
in  diameter  The  chasms,  or  opening  in  the  walls,  were  pro 
bably  intended  for  gateways  ;  they  are  three  in  number  on 
each  side,  besides  the  smaller  openings  in  the  angles.  Within 
the  walls  there  are  three  elevations  six  feet  in  height,  with  re 
gular  ascents  to  them.  These  elevations  considerably  resem 
ble  some  of  the  eminences  already  mentioned,  which  have 
been  discovered  near  the  river  Mississippi.  This  author's 
opinion  is,  that  theTolticas,  or  some  other  Mexican  nation, 
were  the  people  to  whom  the  mounds  and  fortifications,  which 


310  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

has  described,  owe  their  existence.  This  conjecture  is 
thought  probable,  from  the  similarity  of  the  Mexican  forti 
fications  described  by  the  Abbe  Clavigero,  and  other  authors, 
to  those  described  by  our  author;  and  from  the  tradition  of 
the  Mexicans  that  they  came  from  the  north  west ;  for  if  we 
can  rely  on  the  testimony  of  late  travellers,  fortifications 
similar  to  those  mentioned  by  Mr.  Barton  have  been  discov 
ered  as  far  to  the  north  as  Lake  Pepin ;  and  we  find  them 
as  we  approach  to  the  south,  even  as  low  as  the  coasts  of 
Florida. 

To  enumerate  the  antiquities  of  America  and  the  differ 
ent  places  where  they  are  found,  would  only  be  a  repetition 
of  what  has  already  appeared  before  the  public ;  and  these 
discoveries  are  evidently  so  much  attended  with  the  exag 
geration  of  enthusiasts,  that  it  would  ill  become  any  person, 
who  was  not  an  actual  observer,  to  present  to  the  public 
what,  perhaps  never  existed.  It  is,  however,  an  undenia 
ble  fact,  that  several  vestiges  of  civilization  have  been 
found  in  different  parts  throughout  the  western  continent, 
which  will  at  once  prove  that  a  people  more  versed  in  the 
arts  and  sciences  than  the  present  North  American  Indians, 
inhabited  the  western  continent  at  some  remote  period. 
The  venerable  Bishop  of  Meaux,  who  addressed  a  series  of 
letters  to  the  Queen  of  France  during  his  travels  in  North 
America,  mentions  the  remains  of  several  well  built  forts  in 
the  country  of  Natchez,  whom  he  supposes  to  be  descen 
dants  of  the  Mexicans  or  the  survivors  of  some  nation  which 
must  have  been  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  arts,  and 
might  have  been  exterminated  by  war  and,  pestilence,  or 
famine.  "This  fortification,"  he  says,  "  which  is  large  and 
square,  might  contain  several  hundred  cabins.  The  walls 
which  are  built  of  stone,  are  seven  or  eight  feet  high. 
Round  them  runs  a  broad  ditch,  six  feet  deep,  into  which 
they  could,  in  time  of  danger,  draw  the  waters  of  a  creek 
or  small  river  that  runs  by  the  town,  at  the  distance  of 
thirty  yards.  Not  far  from  thence  I  observed  the  remains 
of  a  tower,  built  with  some  taste  and  art ;  and  on  inquiring 
at  the  great  temple  of  the  Natchez,  what  it  was  intended 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  311 

for  I  was  told  by  the  priest,  that  it  was  a  repository  for 
the  dead,  or  the  tomb  of  their  chiefs." 

Monsieur  de  la  Sale,  who  first  discovered  the  country  of 
the  Natchez,  speaks  of  fortifications,  temples,  and  cultivated 
fields,  where  he  assured  us  the  plough  had  been  in  use,  from 
the  fact  that,  on  one  occasion,  when  they  were  digging  to 
make  a  well,  they  discovered  the  remains  of  a  plough  and 
the  bone  of  an  elephant  along  with  it,  which  from  the  shape 
they  gave  it,  could  not  have  been  intended  for  any  other 
purpose  than  a  ploughshare. 

Another  learned  author  makes  the  following  observations  : 
"  That  North  America  was  formerly  inhabited  by  a  nation 
more  civilized  and  more  versed  in  science,  than  the  present, 
is  certain  from  the  late  discoveries  of  M.  Verandrier  and 
his  companions,  who  travelled  westward  from  Montreal  in 
order  to  reach  the  south  sea.  When  they  had  traversed 
many  nations,  of  which  no  European  had  any  knowledge 
before,  they  met  with  large  tracts  every  where  covered 
with  furrows,  which  had  formerly  been  ploughed ;  it  is  to 
be  observed  that  the  people  who  now  inhabit.  North  America, 
never  make  use  of  oxen,  horses,  or  ploughs.  In  several 
places  they  met  on  the  plains  and  in  the  woods  great  pillars 
of  stone,  which,  to  all  appearance,  had  been  erected  by 
human  hands,  and  with  considerable  taste.  They  found  a 
stone,  in  which  was  fixed  a  smaller  one,  measuring  twelve 
inches  by  five,  on  which  was  an  inscription  in  unknown 
characters ;  this  they  brought  to  Canada,  from  whence  it 
was  sent  to  France,  to  the  Count  de  Maurepas,  the  Secretary 
of  State." 

Count  Rosetti  found  a  helmet  among  the  Natchez,  made 
of  tortoise-shell,  on  which  some  Asiatic  hieroglyphics  were 
engraved.  On  his  return  to  Italy  they  were  explained  by 
some  missionaries  who  remained  several  years  in  China,  and 
purported  the  God  of  War  and  the  Great  Sun,  or  the  Great 
Chief.  The  helmet  is  still  preserved  in  the  count's  collec 
tion  of  antiquities. 

L'Abbe  de  la  Ville  discovered,  during  his  mission  in 
Ohio,  a  vlefensive  armour  of  tortoise-shell,  with  inscriptions 


312  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

in  the  Chinese  language.  These  he  sent  to  Paris,  and  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  national  museum,  with  the  following  ob 
servations  :  "  I  have  often  heard  among  the  present  Indians, 
that,  before  they  arrived  in  this  countary  from  the  north 
west,  they  met  the  remains  of  a  nation  whose  language  they 
could  not  understand,  and  whose  external  appearance,  man 
ners,  customs,  and  religion,  were  not  the  same  with  theirs. 
They  represented  them  as  a  people  who  had  a  different 
origin,  but  who,  they  said,  had  entered  this  continent  by 
Kamschatka,  as  they  did  themselves.  This  information  I 
have  not  only  acquired  from  those  Indian  tribes  which  I 
found  in  Ohio,  but  also  from  the  Great  Sun  of  the  Natchez, 
who  assured  me  that  he  was  the  descendant  of  those  who 
were  the  original  proprietors  of  the  American  soil,  previous 
to  the  migration  of  the  barbarous  tribes  by  which  he  found 
himself  then  surrounded.  At  the  same  time  he  told  me,  that 
a  part  of  his  nation  survived  the  almost  utter  extermination 
of  his  tribes  by  that  barbarous  horde,  and  that  they  still 
lived  towards  the  south." 

"  Innumerable  fortifications,"  says  Mons.  du  Chateau, 
"  are  to  be  found  throughout  America ;  but  all  these  vestiges 
of  civilization,  and  their  monuments  or  pillars  and  the 
tumuli  of  the  dead  are  now  so  overgrown  with  trees,  that  it 
is  with  some  difficulty,  they  can  be  discerned." 

That  several  monuments  of  antiquity  are  very  probably 
concealed  from  us  by  the  overgrowth  of  the  forest  cannot  at 
all  be  denied,  when  we  exhibit  to  the  view  of  the  public,  a 
certain  fact  which  recently  came  to  light  in  the  township 
of  Beverly,  county  of  Halton,  Upper  Canada.  A  tumulus 
was  discovered  containing  the  remains  of  about  a  thousand 
Indians,  with  arms  and  cooking  vessels.  This  golgotha 
was,  when  discovered,  overgrown  with  trees  of  two  hundred 
years  growth.  It  is,  therefore,  reasonable  to  believe  tnat 
several  marks  of  civilization  have,  under  similar  circumstan 
ces,  escaped  our  notice. 

M,  Sinclair,  who  travelled  in  North  America  in  the  year 
1748,  has  made  the  following  observations  respecting  the 
civilization  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  this  continent: 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  313 

"  That  architecture  and  painting,"  he  says,  a  were  known 
among  the  ancients  of  America  cannot  be  denied,  when  we 
examine  the  art  which  they  displayed  in  building  fortifica 
tions  and  towers ;  and  the  taste  which  their  paintings  in 
relievo  exhibit.  It  would  be  equally  absurd  to  deny  that 
iron  tools  were  in  use ;  for  how  could  they  break  and  shape 
into  different  forms  large  stones  almost  as  hard  as  the  flint 
which  the  present  Red  Men  use  as  hatchets.  But,  without 
any  conjecture,  we  may  easily  arrive  at  a  conclusion  by 
considering  the  fact,  that  the  French  missionaries  found 
several  iron  tools  and  warlike  weapons  ;  and  these  tools,  are 
said  to  resemble,  in  a  striking  manner,  those  of  the  Coreans, 
formerly  a  Chinese  colony." 

Count  Rosetti  says  that  they  are  not  unlike  those  in  use 
among  the  Chinese,  according  to  the  observations  of  the 
Jesuit,  who  lived  for  several  years  in  China.  How  these 
tools  and  weapons  have  disappeared  can  easily  be  accounted 
for,  by  supposing  that  this  Asiatic  colony,  which  was  un 
doubtedly  more  polished  than  the  present  Indians,  buried 
along  with  the  dead,  as  is  well  known  to  have  been  the 
custom,  those  tools  and  weapons  which  were  dear  to  them 
when  living.  This  ridiculous  and  superstitious  custom  would 
certainly  contribute,  through  time,  to  the  utter  annihilation 
of  those  instruments,  which,  though  evidently  in  use  among 
them,  were  not  made  by  them  since  they  arrived  in  America, 
but  brought  along  with  them  from  whatever  part  of  Asia 
they  migrated,  and  consequently  the  supply  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  scanty.  The  Mexicans,  who  are  supposed, 
and  on  very  good  grounds,  to  be  the  descendants  of  this 
more  civilized  race  of  Indians,  were  acquainted  with  the 
arts  when  first  visited  by  the  Europeans ;  and  this  we  shall 
endeavour  to  prove  hereafter. 

The  following  article  appeared  some  time  ago,  in  the 
United  Service  Journal,  in  reference  to  the  Greek  antiquities 
which  have  been  recently  discovered  in  South  America : 
"  A  recent  discovery  seems  to  afford  strong  evidence  that 
the  soil  of  America  was  once  trodden  by  one  of  Alexander's 
subjects.  A  few  years  since  there  was  found,  near  Monte 

27 


314  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

Video,  in  South  America,  a  stone  with  the  following  words 
in  Greek  upon  it :  '  During  the  reign  of  Alexander,  the  son 
of  Philip,  king  of  Macedon,  in  the  63rd  Olympiad,  Ptolemy' 
— the  remainder  of  the  inscription  could  not  be  deciphered. 
This  stone  covered  an  excavation,  which  contained  two 
very  ancient  swords,  a  helmet,  a  shield,  and  several  earthen 
amphorae  of  large  capacity.  On  the  handle  of  one  of  the 
swords  was  a  portrait  of  a  man,  and  on  the  helmet  there  was 
sculptured  work  representing  Achilles  dragging  the  corpse 
of  Hector  round  the  walls  of  Troy.  This  was  a  favourite 
picture  among  the  Greeks.  Probably  this  Ptolemy  was 
overtaken  by  a  storm  in  the  great  ocean,  as  the  ancients 
termed  the  Atlantic,  and  driven  on  the  coast  of  South  Ame 
rica.  The  silence  of  Greek  writers  in  relation  to  this  event 
may  easily  be  accounted  for,  by  supposing  that  on  attempt 
ing  to  return  to  Greece  he  was  lost,  together  with  his  crew, 
and  thus  no  account  of  his  discovery  ever  reached  them." 

How  these  Greek  antiquities  came  to  America,  we  can 
not  at  all  conjecture ;  and  it  is  equally  dubious,  whether  such 
things  have  been  discovered  or  not.  It  would,  however, 
appear  presumptuous  on  our  part  to  contradict  it,  when  we 
can  prove  nothing  to  the  contrary. 


INDIAN  ANTIQUITIES. 
(From  Governor  Clinton's  Discourse.) 

"  It  would  be  an  unpardonable  omission,  not  to  mention, 
while  treating  on  this  subject,  that  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe,  that  previous  to  the  occupancy  of  this  country  by 
the  progenitors  of  the  present  nation  of  Indians,  it  was  in 
habited  by  a  race  of  men  much  more  populous,  and  much 
farther  advanced  in  civilization.  The  numerous  remains  of 
ancient  fortifications,  which  are  found  in  this  country,  com 
mencing  principally  near  the  Onondaga  River,  and  from 
thence  spreading  over  the  military  tract,  the  Genesee  coun- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  315 

try,  and  the  lands  of  the  Holland  Land  Company,  over  the 
territory  adjoining  the  Ohio  and  its  tributary  streams,  the 
country  on  Lake  Erie,  and  extending  even  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  demonstrate  a  population  far  exceeding  that  of  the 
Indians  when  this  country  was  first  settled. 

"I  have  seen  several  of  these  works  in  the  western  parts 
of  this  state.  There  is  a  large  one  in  the  town  of  Onondaga ; 
one  in  Pompey,  and  another  in  Manlius ;  one  in  Camillus, 
eight  miles  from  Auburn ;  one  in  Scipio,  six  miles  :  another 
one  mile,  and  one,  half  a  mile  from  that  village.  Between 
the  Senecca  and  Cayuga  Lakes  there  are.  several ;  three 
within  a  few  miles  of  each  other.  Near  the  village  of 
Canadaigua  there  are  three.  In  a  word  they  are  scattered 
all  over  that  country. 

"  These  forts  were,  generally  speaking,  erected  on  the 
most  commanding  ground.  The  walls  or  breastworks  were 
earthen.  The  ditches  were  on  the  exterior  of  the  works. 
On  some  of  the  parapets,  oak  trees  were  to  be  seen,  which, 
from  the  number  of  the  concentric  circles,  must  have  been 
standing  one  hundred  and  fifty,  two  hundred  and  sixty,  and 
three  hundred  years  ;  and  there  were  evident  indications,  not 
only  that  they  -had  sprung  up  since  the  erection  of  those 
works,  but  that  they  were  at  least  a  second  growth.  The 
trenches  wrere  in  some  cases  deep  and  wide,  and  in  others 
shallow  and  narrow  ;  and  the  breastworks  varied  in  altitude 
from  three  to  eight  feet.  They  sometimes  had  one,  and 
sometimes  two  entrances,  as  was  to  be  inferred  from  there 
being  no  ditch  at  those  places.  When  the  works  were  pro 
tected  by  a  deep  ravine,  or  a  large  stream  of  water,  no  ditch 
was  to  be  seen  The  areas  of  these  forts  varied  from  two 
to  fAX  acres;  and  the  form  was  generally  an  irregular  ellip 
sis  ;  and  in  some  of  them  fragments  of  earthenware  and  pul 
verized  substances,  supposed  to  have  been  originally  human 
bones  were  to  be  found. 

"  These  fortifications,  thus  diffused  over  the  interior  of  our 
country,  have  been  generally  considered  as  surpassing  the 
skill,  patience,  and  industry  of  the  Indian  race  ;  and  various 


316  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

hypotheses  have  been  advanced  to  prove  them  of  European 
origin. 

"  An  American  writer  of  no  inconsiderable  repute  pro 
nounced  some  years  ago,  that  the  two  forts  at  the  conflu 
ence  of  the  Muskingum  and  Ohio  Rivers,  one  covering  forty 
and  the  other  twenty  acres,  were  erected  by  Ferdinand  de 
Soto,  who  landed  with  one  thousand  men  in  Florida  in  1539, 
and  penetrated  a  considerable  distance  into  the  interior  of 
the  country.  He  allotted  the  large  fort  for  the  use  of  the 
Spanish  army ;  and  after  being  extremely  puzzled  how  to 
dispose  of  the  small  one  in  the  vicinity,  he  at  last  assigned 
it  to  the  swine,  that  generally,  as  lie  said,  attended  the 
Spaniards  in  those  days ;  being  in  his  opinion  very  necessary, 
in  order  to  prevent  them  from  becoming  astray,  and  to  pro 
tect  them  from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians. 

"  When  two  ancient  forts,  one  containing  six  and  the 
other  three  acres,  were  found  near  Lexington  in  Kentucky, 
another  theory  was  propounded,  and  it  was  supposed  that 
they  were  erected  by  the  descendants  of  a  Welch  Colony, 
who  are  said  to  have  migrated  under  the  auspices  of  Madoc 
to  this  country,  in  the  twelfth  century  ;  that  they  formerly 
inhabited  Kentucky ;  but  being  attacked  by  the  Indians, 
were  forced  to  take  refuge  near  the  sources  of  the  Missouri. 

"  Another  suggestion  has  been  made,  that  the  French  in 
their  expeditions  from  Canada  to  the  Mississippi,  were  the 
authors  of  these  works ;  but  the  most  numerous  are  to  be 
found  in  the  territory  of  the  Senecas,  whose  hostility  to  the 
French  was  such,  that  they  were  not  allowed  for  a  long 
time  to  have  any  footing  among  them.*  The  fort  at  Nia 
gara  was  obtained  from  them  by  the  intrigues  and  eloquence 
of  Joncaire,  an  adopted  child  of  the  nation.f 

"  Louis  Denmie,  a  Frenchman,  aged  upwards  of  seventy, 
and  who  has  been  settled  and  married  among  the  confede 
rates  for  more  than  half  a  century,  told  me  that  according 
to  the  traditions  of  the  ancient  Indians,  these  forts  were 
erected  by  an  army  of  Spaniards,  who  were  the  first  Euro- 

•  Golden,  vol.  I,,p.  61.     f  Charlevoix,  vol.  III.  letter  15.  p.  2.  27. 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  317 

peans  ever  seen  by  them;  the  French  the  next;  then  the 
Dutch  ;  and  finally  the  English ;  that  this  army  first  appeared 
at  Oswego  in  great  force,  and  penetrated  through  the  in 
terior  of  the  country,  searching  for  the  precious  metals  j  that 
they  continued  there  two  years,  and  went  down  the  Ohio. 

"  Some  of  the  Senecastold  Mr.  Kirkland,the  Missionary, 
that  those  in  their  territory  were  raised  by  their  ancestors 
in  their  wars  with  the  Western  Indians,  three,  four,  or  five 
hundred  years  ago.  All  the  Cantons  have  traditions,  that 
their  ancestors  came  originally  from  the  west;  and  the 
Senecas  say  that  theirs  first  settled  in  the  country  of  the 
Creeks.  The  early  histories  mention  that  the  Iroquois  first 
inhabited  on  the  north  side  of  the  lakes ;  that  they  were 
driven  to  their  present  territory  in  a  war  with  the  Algon- 
quins  or  Adirondacks,  from  whence  they  expelled  the  Sata- 
nas.  If  these  accounts  are  correct,  the  ancestors  of  the 
Senecas  did  not,  in  all  probability,  occupy  their  great  ter 
ritory,  at  the  time  they  alledge 

"  I  believe  we  may  confidently  pronounce,  that  all  the 
hypotheses  which  attribute  those  works  to  Europeans,  are 
incorrect  and  fanciful.  1st.  Our  account  of  the  present 
number  of  the  works.  2nd.  Our  account  of  their  antiquity ; 
having  from  every  appearance,  been  erected  a  long  time 
before  the  disc6very  of  America ;  and  finally  their  form  and 
manner  are  totally  variant  from  European  fortifications, 
either  in  ancient  or  modern  times. 

"  It  is  generally  clear  that  they  were  not  the  work  of  the' 
Indians.  Until  the  Senecas,  who  are  fenowned  for  their 
national  vanity,  had  seen  the  attention  of  the  Americans 
attracted  to  these  erections,  and  had  invented  the  fabulous 
account  of  which  I  have  spoken,  the  Indians  of  the  present 
day  did  not  pretend  to  know  any  thing  about  their  origin. 
They  were  beyond  the  reach  of  all  their  traditions,  and  were 
lost  in  the  abyss  of  unexplored  antiquity. 

"  The  erection  of  such  prodigious  works  must  have  been 
the  result  of  labour,  far  beyond  the  patience  and  persever 
ance  of  our  Indians ;  and  the  forms  and  materials  are  entirely 
different  from  those  which  they  are  known  to  make.  These 

27* 


318 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


earthern  walls,  it  is  supposed,  will  retain  their  original  form 
much  longer  than  those  constructed  with  brick  and  stone. 
They  have  undoubtedly  been  greatly  diminished  by  the 
washing  away  of  the  earth,  the  filling  up  of  the  interior,  and 
the  accumulation  of  fresh  soil :  yet  their  firmness  and  solidity 
indicate  them  to  be  the  work  of  some  remote  age.  Add  to 
this,  that  the  Indians  have  never  practised  the  mode  of  for 
tifying  by  entrenchments.  Their  villages  or  castles  were 
protected  by  palisades ;  which  afforded  a  sufficient  defence 
against  Indian  weapons.  When  Cartier  went  to  Hochelaga, 
now  Montreal,  in  1535  he  discovered  a  town  of  the  Iroquois, 
or  Hurons,  containing  about  fifty  huts.  It  was  encompassed 
with  three  lines  of  palisades,  through  which  was  one  entrance, 
well  secured  with  stakes  and  bars.  On  the  inside  was  a 
rampart  of  timber,  to  which  were  ascents  by  ladders  ;  and 
heaps  of  stones  were  laid  in  proper  places  to  cast  at  an 
enemy.  Charlevoix  and  other  writers  agree,  in  representing 
the  Indian  fortresses,  as  fabricated  with  wood.  Such  also 
were  the  forts  of  Saascus,  the  great  chief  of  the  Pequots  ; 
and  the  principal  fortress  of  the  Narragansetts  was  on  an 
island  in  a  swamp,  of  five  or  six  acres  of  rising  land ;  the 
sides  were  made  with  palisades  set  upright,  encompassed 
with  a  hedge,  of  a  rod  in  thickness. 

"  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  argument  for  'the  great 
antiquity  of  those  ancient  forts,  to  be  derived  from  the  nun> 
ber  of  concentric  circles.  On  the  ramparts  of  one  of  the 
Muskingum  forts,  four  hundred  and  sixty-three  were  ascer 
tained  on  a  tree,  decayed  at  the  centre ;  and  there  are  like 
wise  the  strongest  marks  of  a  former  growth  of  a  similar 
size.  This  would  make  those  works  near  a  thousand  years 
old. 

"  But  there  is  another  consideration  which  has  never  be 
fore  been  urged,  and  which  appears  to  me  to  be  not  unwor 
thy  of  attention.  It  is  certainly  novel,  and  I  believe  it  to 
be  founded  on  a  basis,  which  cannot  easily  be  subverted. 

"  From  near  the  Genesee  River  to  Lexington,  on  the 
Niagara  River,  there  is  a  remarkable  ridge  or  elevation  of 
land,  running  almost  the  whole  distance,  which  is  seventy- 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  319 

eight  miles,  and  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west.  Its  gene 
ral  altitude  above  the  neighbouring  land  is  thirty  feet,  and 
its  width  varies  considerably  ;  in  some  places  it  is  not  more 
than  forty  yards.  Its  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  Lake 
Ontario  is  perhaps  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  to  which  it 
descends  by  a  gradual  slope,  and  its  distance  from  that  water 
is  between  six  and  ten  miles.  This  remarkable  strip  of  land, 
would  appear  as  if  intended  by  nature  for  the  purpose  of  an 
easy  communication.  It  is  in  fact  a  stupendous  natural 
turnpike,  descending  gently  on  each  side,  and  covered  with 
gravel ;  and  but  little  labour  is  requisite  to  make  it  the  best 
road  in  the  United  States.  When  the  forests  between  it 
and  the  lakes  are  clearejl,  the  prospects  and  scenery  which 
will  be  afforded  from  a  tour  on  this  route  to  the  Cataract  of 
Niagara,  will  surpass  all  competition  for  sublimity  and 
beauty,  variety  and  number. 

"There  is  every  reason  to  believe,  that  this  remarkable 
ridge  was  the  ancient  boundary  of  this  great  lake.  The 
gravel  with  which  it  is  covered,  was  deposited  there  by  the 
waters  ;  and  the  stones  every  where  indicate  by  their  shape, 
the  abrasion  and  agitation  produced  by  that  element.  All 
along  the  borders  of  the  western  rivers  and  lakes,  there  are 
Small  mounds  or  heaps  of  gravel,  of  a  conical  form,  erected 
by  the  fish  for  the  protection  of  their  spawn  ;  these  fish 
banks  are  found  in  a  state  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  at  the 
foot  of  the  ridge,  on  the  side  toward  the  lake  ;  on  the  op 
posite  side  none  have  been  discovered.  All  rivers  and 
streams  which  enter  the  lake  from  the  south,  have  their 
mouths  affected  with  sand  in  a  peculiar  way,  from  the  pre 
valence  and  power  of  the  north-westerly  winds  The  points 
of  the  creeks  which  pass  through  this  ridge,  correspond  ex 
actly  in  appearance  with  the  entrance  of  the  streams  into 
the  lakes. 

"  These  facts  evince,  beyona  doubt,  that  Lake  Ontario  has, 
perhaps  one  or  two  thousand  years  ago,  receded  from  this 
elevated  ground.  And  the  cause  of  this  retreat  must  be 
ascribed  to  its  having  enlarged  its  former  outlet,  or  to  its 


320  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

imprisoned  waters  (aided  probably  by  an  earthquake)  for 
cing  a  passage  down  the  present  bed  of  the  St.  Lawrence  \ 
as  the  Hudson  did  at  the  Highlands,  and  the  Mohawk  at 
the  Little  Falls  On  the  south  side  of  this  great  ridge,  in 
its  vicinity,  and  in  all  directions  through  this  country,  the 
remains  of  numerous  forts  are  to  be  seen ;  but  on  the  north 
side,  that  is,  on  the  side  toward  the  lake,  not  a  single  one 
has  been  discovered,  although  the  whole  ground  has  been 
carefully  explored.  Considering  the  distance  to  be,  say, 
seventy  miles  in  length,  and  eight  in  breadth,  and  that  the 
boarder  of  the  lake  is  the  very  place  that  would  be  selected 
for  habitation  and  consequently  for  works  of  defence,  on 
account  of  the  facilities  it  would  afford  for  subsistence,  for 
safety,  for  all  domestic  accommodations  and  military  pur 
poses  ;  and  that  on  the  south  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  these 
ancient  fortresses  exist  in  great  number,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  but  that  these  woiks  were  erected,  when  this  ridge 
was  the  southern  boundary  of  Lake  Ontario,  and,  conse 
quently,  that  their  origin  must  be  sought  in  a  very  remote 
age. 

"  A  great  part  of  North  America  was  then  inhabited  by 
populous  nations,  wrho  had  made  considerable  advances  in 
civilization.  These  numerous  works  could  never  have  been 
supplied  with  provisions  without  the  aid  of  agriculture.  Nor 
could  they  have  been  constructed  without  the  use  of  iron  or 
copper ;  and  without  a  perseverance,  labour,  and  design 
which  demonstrate  considerable  progress  in  the  arts  of  civil 
ized  life.  A  learned  writer  has  said, '  I  perceive  no  reason 
why  the  Asiatic  North  might  not  be  an  Offidna  vironim  as 
well  as  the  European.  The  overtceming  country  to  the  east 
of  the  Riphcean  Mountains  must  find  it  necessary  to  dis 
charge  its  inhabitants.  The  first  great  wave  of  people'was 
forced  forward  by  the  next  jp  it,  more  restless  and  more 
powerful  than  itself.  Successive  and  new  impulses  continu 
ally  arriving,  short  rest  wras  given  to  that  which  spread 
over  a  more  eastern  track ;  disturbed  again  and  again,  it 
covered  fresh  regions.  At  length,  reaching  the  farthest 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  321 

limits  of  the  old  world,  it  found  a  new  one,  with  ample 
space  to  occupy  unmolested  for  ages.'* 

"  After  the  north  of  Asia  had  thus  exhausted  its  exhube- 
rant  population  by  such  a  great  migration,  it  would  require 
a  very  long  period  of  time  to  produce  a  co-operation  of 
causes,  sufficient  to  effect  another.  The  first  mighty  stream 
of  people  that  flowed  into  America,  must  have  remained 
free  from  external  pressure  for  ages.  Availing  themselves 
of  this  period  of  tranquility,  they  would  devote  themselves 
to  the  art  of  peace,  make  rapid  progress  in  civilization,  and 
acquire  an  immense  population.  In  course  of  time,  discord 
and  war  would  rage  among  them,  and  compel  the  establish 
ment  of  places  of  security.  At  last,  they  became  alarmed 
by  the  irruption  of  a  horde  of  barbarians,  who  rushed  like 
an  overwhelming  flood  from  the  north  of  Asia. 

\ 

A  multitude,  like  which  the  populous  North 
Poured  from  her  frozen  loins,  to  pass 
Rhene  or  the  Danaw,  when  her  barbarous  sons 
Came  like  a  deluge  on  the  South,  and  spread 
Beneath  Gibraltar  to  the  Lybian  Sands.f 

"  The  great  law  of  self-preservation  compelled  them  to 
stand  on  their  defence,  to  resist  these  ruthless  invaders,  and 
lo  construct  numerous  and  extensive  works  for  protection. 
And  for  a  long  series  of  time  the  scale  of  victory  was  sus 
pended  in  doubt,  and  they  firmly  withstood  the  torrent ;  but 
like  the  Romans  in  the  decline  of  their  empire,  they  were 
finally  worn  down  and  destroyed,  by  successive  inroads,  and 
renewed  attacks.  And  tjie  fortifications  of  which  we  have 
treated,  are  the  only  remaining  monuments  of  these  ancient 
and  exterminated  nations.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  airy  nothing 
of  imagination,  and  maybe  reckoned  the  extravagant  dream 
of  a  visionary  mind ;  but  may  we  not,  considering  the  won 
derful  events  of  the  past  and  present  times,  and  the  inscru 
table  dispensations  of  an  overruling  Providence,  may  we 
not  look  forward  into  futurity,  and  without  departing  from 

*  Pennant's  Artie  Zoology,  vol.  I,  p.  260. 
f  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  book  I,  p.  62. 


322  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

the  rigid  laws  of  probability,  predict  the  occurrence  of 
similar  scenes,  at  some  remote  period  of  time.  And  perhaps 
in  the  decrepitude  of  our  empire,  some  transcendent  genius, 
whose  powers  of  mind  shall  only  be  bounded  by  that  im 
penetrable  circle  which  prescribes  the  limits  of  human 
nature,*  may  rally  the  barbarous  nations  of  Asia,  under  the 
standard  of  a  mighty  empire.  Following  the  track  of  the 
Russian  colonies  anil  commerce  towards  the  North-west 
coast,  and  availing  himself  of  the  navigation,  arms,  and 
military  skill  of  civilized  nations,  he  may,  after  subverting 
the  neighbouring  despotisms  of  the  old  world,  bend  his 
course  toward  European  Ameiica.  The  destinies  of  our 
country  may  then  be  decided  on  the  waters  of  the  Missouri, 
or  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior.  And  if  Asia  shall  then 
revenge  on  our  posterity,  the  injuries  we  have  inflicted  on 
her  sons,  a  new,  a  long,  and  a  gloomy  night  of  Gothic 
darkness  will  set  in  upon  mankind.  And  when,  after  the 
efflux  of  ages,  the  returning  effulgence  of  intellectual  light 
shall  again  gladden  the  nations,  then  the  wide-spread  ruins 
of  our  cloud-capped  towers,  of  our  solemn  temples,  and  of 
our  magnificent  cities,  will,  like  the  works  of  which  we 
have  treated,  become  the  subject  of  curious  research  and 
elaborate  investigation." 


THE  MEXICANS  ARE  THE  REMAINS  OF  A  MORE  POLISHED 
NATION  THAN  THE  PRESENT  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDI 
ANS. 

It  must  be  observed,  however,  that  the  history  o'f  nations 
and  the  progress  of  civilization  does  not,  at  this  moment, 
offer  a  greater  enigma  worthy  of  solution  than  the  origin  of 
the  Toltec,  Chichimec,  and  Aztec  tribes,  which  compose  at 
present  those  properly  denominated  Mexicans.  Their  mi 
grations  are  not  hid  in  the  obscurity  of  far  distant  ages,  like 

*  Roscoe's  Lorenzo  De  Medicis,  p.  241 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  323 

those  of  the  Celts,  the  Hellenes,  or  the  Pelasgi,  but  at  a 
period  comparatively  modern,  when  all  the  movements  on 
the  continent  of  Asia  are  at  least  possible  to  be  traced.  If 
we  may  judge  from  the  number  of  languages,  the  number 
of  native  tribes  must  be  great.  These  languages  exceed 
twenty,  fourteen  of  which  have  grammars  and  dictionaries. 
The  Mexican,  or  Aztec  language,  spoken  by  the  Toltecs, 
Chichiraecs,  Acoluchecs,  Nahuatlacs,  and  Aztecs,  thus  in 
dicating  an  identity  of  origin.  This  language  is  the  most 
widely  diffused  of  all  the  Mexican  languages,  extending 
from  37  N.  Lat.  as  far  south  as  the  lake  of  Nicaragua,  a 
distance  of  more  than  1200  miles.  The  other  languages, 
indicating  as  many  diiferent  tribes,  are  the  Otomite,  Tarasc, 
Zapotec,  Mistece,  Maye,  or  Yucatan,  Totonac,  Papolouc, 
Matlazing,  Huaste,  Mixed,  Caquiquil,  Taranmar,  Tepehuan, 
and  the  Cors.  The  most  part  of  these  languages  are,  un 
doubtedly,  different  from  each  other ;  but  the  intermixture 
of  one  tribe  with  the  other,  their  separation  into  new  coun 
tries,  and  their  formation  into  different  nations,  would,  in 
evitably,  produce,  in  the  process  of  time,  new  and  strange 
languages ;  so  that  if  we  can  trace  the  origin  of  theanost 
ancient  and  universal  language,  which  is  the  Mexican  or 
Aztec,  we  may  fairly  conclude  that  the  Mexican  is  the 
common  source  of  all  the  other  dialects,  and  that  the  Mexi 
cans  must  consequently  be  the  progenitors  of  all  the  other 
tribes.  Of  the  five  tribes  which  constitute  the  present 
Mexican  nation  the  Toltecs  first  made  their  appearance  fifty 
miles  to  the  east  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  in  648.  They  de 
clared  themselves  expelled  from  a  country  lying  to  the 
north-west  of  the  Rio  Gila,  and  called  by  them  Huehuetla- 
pallan.  The  date  of  their  emigration  is  fixed  in  the  Mexi 
can  paintings,  which  describe  year  by  year  the  events  of 
this  migration,  which  commenced  in  544  of  our  era,  or  104 
years  before  their  settlement  in  Mexico ;  and  it  is  very  re 
markable  that  this  epoch  of  544,  correspond* with  the  ruin 
of  the  dynasty  of  Tsin,  in  China,  which  caused  such  grear 
commotions  among  the  nations  of  eastern  Asia.  About 
one  hundred  years  after  the  Toltecs  had  left  Huehuetlapallan, 


324  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

the  Chichimecs  took  possession  of  it.  These  were  a  much 
more  rude  and  unpolished  tribe  than  the  Toltecs,  and  came 
from  an  unknown  country,  called  by 'them  Amaque  Mecan, 
far  to  the  north  of  Huehuetlapallan,  where  they  had  resided 
for  a  long  time.  They  took  eighteen  months  in  their  mi 
gration  to  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Toltecs.  After  remaining 
five  centuries  in  Huehuetlapallan,  they  migrated  to  the  south 
and  appeared  in  Mexico  in  1170,  and  mingled  with  the 
Toltecs.  The  Nahuatlacs  made  their  first  appearance  from 
the  north,  in  1196  in  Mexico.  The  Aztecs,  the  immediate 
progenitors-  of  the  Mexicans,  dwelt  in  a  country  called 
Aztlan,  to  the  north  of  the  Californian  Gulf  in  1160.  How 
far  to  the  north  of  this  parallel  Aztlan  lay,  it  is  impossible 
to  determine;  but  we  are  certain  that  it  lay  to  the  north  of 
the  Rio  Colorado  of  California.  It  is  probable  that  the 
original  abode  of  the  Aztecs,  or  Aztlan,  lay  beyond  Nootka 
Sound,  between  it  and  Cook's  River,  especially  under  the 
57th  degree  of  N.  Lat.  in  Norfolk  Bay  and  newv  Cornwall, 
where  the  natives  have  a  strong  predilection  for  hierogly- 
phical  painting,  like  the  Mexicans.  After  a  migration  of 
56  years,  distinguished  into  three  grand  periods,  the  Aztecs 
arrived  in  the  valley  of  Mexico  in  1216.  The  first  stage  of 
their  migration  was  to  the  south  of  the  Rio  Nabajoa,  in  35 
deg.  N.  Lat.  and  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Colorado.  The 
second  stage,  was  to  the  south  of  the  Rio  Gila,  in  N.  Lat. 
33  deg.  30  min.,  where  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  city,  called 
Las  Casas  Grandes,  by  the  Spaniards,  was  discovered  in 
1773,  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  and  beautiful,  plain,  a  league 
to  the  south  of  the  Gila.  These  ruins  occupy  the  space  of 
three  square  miles.  The  whole  surrounding  plain  is  filled 
with  fragments  of  Mexican  stone-ware,  beautifully  painted 
in  red,  white,  and, blue.  The  third  station  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  Yanos,  in  the  new  Biscay,  in  N.  Lat.  30  deg.  30 
min.,  and  350  miles  S.  E.  of  Las  Casas  Grandes.  They 

Soved  hence  <to  Hueicolhuican,  or  Culeacan,  where  the 
ztecs,  originally  composed  of  six  tribes,  were  abandoned 
by  five  of  them,  namely,  the  Xochimilcas,  Tepanecas,  Chal- 
cese,  Tlascaltecs.     The   cause  of  this  separation   is  not 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  325 

known.  The  remaining  tribe  was  rent  into  two  violent 
factions,  which  persecuted  each  other,  and  they  constructed 
no  more  edifices,  as  at  Las  Casas  Grandes.  They,  however, 
still  travelled  together  to  the  south,  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
company  and  protection  of  their  imaginary  God.  Where- 
evcr  they  stopt  an  altar  was  erected  to  him ;  and  at  their 
departure,  they  always  left  behind  all  their  sick,  under  the 
charge  of  others  to  take  care  of  them.  They  stopt  at  Tula, 
nine  years,  and  eleven  more  in  the  surrounding  parts.  At 
last,  in  1216,  they  arrived  at  Zumpanco,  a  considerable  city 
in  the  vale  of  Mexico,  where  they  were  very  kindly  received 
by  the  lord  of  that  district,  who  not  only  assigned  them 
habitations,  but  became  very  much  attached  to  them ;  and 
even  demanded  from  them  a  wife  for  his  son,  which  was 
granted ;  and  from  this  marriage  all  the  Mexican  kings 
descended. 

Restless,  however,  and  dissatisfied  with  their  condition, 
they  still  migrated  from  place  to  place,  along  the  lake  of 
Tezcuco.  In  1245,  they  arrived  at  Chapoltepec,  within 
t\vo  miles  of  the  future  site  of  Mexico. ~  Harrassed  by  the 
petty  kings  of  Zaltocan,  or  the  Chichimec-  sovereigns,  they 
retired  to  a  small  group  of  small  islands,  called  Acocoloo, 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake,  where  they  lived  for 
52  years  in  great  misery,  being  compelled  to  satisfy  their 
wants  with  aquatic  plants,  insects,  and  an  unknown  species 
of  reptile,  called  Axolotl.  Reduced  to  slavery  by  the  prin 
ces  of  Acoluacan  or  Tezcuco,  they  were  again  forced  to 
abandon  their  abode  in  the  midst  of  the  lake,  and  take  ref 
uge  on  the  continent,  at  T'zapan.  The  service  which  they 
did  to  their  masters,  in  a  war  with  the  Xochimilcas,  again 
procured  them  their  liberty. 

They  established  themselves  first  at  Acatzinzintlau,  which 
they  called  Mexicalzingo,  from  Mexitli,  or  Huitzilopochtli, 
their  warlike  divinity,  corruptly  called  Vitzliputzli,  and 
next  to  Iztacaldo.  Thence  they  removed  to  the  little  islands 
to  the  E.  N.  E.  of  Chapoltepec,  in  the  western  end  of  the 
lake,  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  the  oracle  of  Aztlau.  An 
ancient  tradition  preserved  amongst  them  said,  that  the 

28 


ORIGIN    OF    THE 


limit,  or  fatal  term  of  their  migration,  was  to  be  a  place 
where  they  should  find  an  eagle  sitting  on  the  top  of  a  nopal 
shrub,  the  roots  of  which  penetrated  the  crevices  of  a  rock. 
This  nopal  was  seen  by  the  Aztecs,  in  the  year  1325,  165 
years  atter  their  first  migration  from  Aztlan,  and  109  years 
from  their  first  appearance  in  the  vale  of  Mexico,  on  a  small 
island,  which  served  for  a  foundation  to  the  Teocalli,  or 
Teopau,  or  the  house  of  God,  afterwards  called  by  the 
Spaniards,  the  great  temple  of  Mexitli.  With  the  building 
of  this  rude  temple  commenced  the  foundation  of  the  city 
of  Mexico,  signifying  in  the  Aztec  language, the  habitation 
of  the  God  of  war;  and  with  it  commenced  the  dynasty  of 
the  Mexican  kings,  and  with  it  ended  the  migration  of  the 
Aztec  tribe. 

Such  is  the  information  which  eminent  geographers  and 
the  most  authentic  Spanish  writers  give  us,  respecting  the 
early  history  of  the  Mexicans.  That  they  were  found  to  be 
a  superior  race  to  the  various  tribes  which  inhabited  this 
continent,  when  America  was  first  visited  by  Europeans, 
cannot  be  denied,  if  a  partial  knowledge  of  the  arts  be  a 
constituent  part  of  refinement  and  civilization.  It  is  the 
opinion  of  all  those  who  have  made  inquiries  after  the  origin 
and  descent  of  the  Mexicans,  or  about  those  vestiges  of 
civilization  which  are  found  throughout  the  continent  of 
America,  that  they  are  the  descendants  of  an  Asiatic  colony 
from  Corea,  which  was  at  the  time  of  their  migration  into 
America,  tributary  to  the  Chinese  empire.  In  corroboration 
of  this  theory,  we  have  not  only  the  opinion  of  learned  men, 
the  testimony  of  Chinese  manuscripts  but  also  a  striking 
similarity  of  external  appearance,  manners,  and  customs, 
as  we  shall  soon  see. 

The  Mexicans  are  described  as  being  generally  of  a  good 
size,  and  well  proportioned.  They  have  narrow  foreheads, 
black  eyes,  and  regular  white  teeth,  their  hair  is  black,  thick, 
coarse  and  glossy.  They  have  little  or  no  beard,  and  no 
hair  upon  their  arms,  thighs  or  legs.  Their  skins  are  a 
kind  of  olive,  or  copper  colour.  Few  among  them  are 
deformed,  and  many  of  the  females  are  beautiful 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


327 


• 
i 


They  dress  their  hair  in  various  fashions,  and  use  different 
kinds  of  paints,  to  make  them  amiable  to  their  friends,  and 
terrible  to  their  foes.  Many  of  the  Mexican  tribes  cover 
themselves  differently.  Those  of  them  who  lived  in  cities 
when  the  Spaniards  arrived  in  that  country,  seem  all  to  have 
worn  particular  habits ;  but  this  has  not  been  exactly  des 
cribed  by  the  Spanish  writers.  The  habits  of  the  emperor, 
and  his  principal  chiefs  are  represented  as  having  been  very 
superb;  but  it  is  probable,  that  fancy  has  sometimes  added 
to  the  magnificence. 

The  Mexicans,  as  is  well  known  to  those  Europeans  who 
first  visited  them,  had,  undoubtedly,  attained  an  astonishing 
degree  of  excellence  in  several  arts.  They  were  consider 
able  proficients  in  painting  and  architecture.  In  painting 
they  sometimes  made  use  of  pencils,  at  other  times  they  used 
coloured  feathers ;  disposing  them  into  a  kind  of  mosaic 
work,  and  displaying  in  this  work  an  ingenuity  and  patiences 
which  has  never  been  surpassed  by  European  artists.  They 
cut  and  polished  marble,  jewels  and  precious  stones.  They 
constructed  different  kinds  of  armour  ;  they  wrought  mines 
of  gold,  silver,  wood,  and  stones ;  they  cut  from  the  quarry 
stones  of  prodigious  size,  and  removed  them  to  great  dis 
tances,  to  be  employed  in  their  buildings ;  and  all  this  with 
out  having  the  knowledge  of  any  metal  harder  than  iron 
or  copper. 

Their  public  edifices  are.  described  as  having  been  of  stone 
and  well  built.  The  royal  palace  opened  by  thirty  gates, 
into  as  many  streets.  The  principal  front,  it  is  said,  was 
of  jasper  of  different  colours,  and  highly  polished.  The 
passage  to  the  royal  apartment  was  through  three  courts, 
of  the  same  materials,  and  equally  well  finished  as  the  prin 
cipal1  court.  The  floors  of  those  apartments  \vere  covered 
with  mats,  and  they  were  hung,  some  of  them  with  cotton 
cloths  and  some  with  hangings  made  of  feathers,  disposed 
into  a  variety  of  living  figures.  The  roofs  were  so  artificial 
ly  constructed,  that,  although  without  nails,  the  planks 
supported  each  other. 

Cotton  manufactures  were  very  common  among  them ; 


328  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

on  cloth  after  it  was  woven,  they  painted  various  figures 
of  men,  trees,  animals,  £c.  Instead  of  needles,  they  used 
bones;  and  the  sinews  of  different  animals,  they  used  for 
thread.  These  manufactures  were  conducted  chiefly  by  the 
women. 

They  knew  something  of  poetry  and  music ;  and  songs 
set  to  music,  describing  the  achievements  of  their  ancestors, 
formed  a  principal  part  of  their  amusements.  Their  writing 
was  advanced  no  farther,  than  to  represent  transactions  by 
paintings,  and  hieroglyphic  representations.  It  was  in  this 
way  that  the  Spanish  invasion  was  announced  to  Monte- 
zuma. 

They  were  skilled  in  agriculture,  so  as  to  raise  consider 
able  quantities  of  maize.  They  had  some  knowledge  of 
gardening  and  botany ;  particularly  with  regard  to  medicinal 
plants,  of  which  this  country  produces  great  quantities. 
The  Mexican  years  consisted  of  365  days.  It  was  divided 
into  18  months,  of  20  days  each ;  and  the  five  days,  which 
according  to  this  way  of  reckoning,  belonging  to  no  month, 
were  yearly  spent  in  the  greatest*festivity.  This  calendar 
shows,  that  they  paid  more  attention  to  the  course  of  the 
sun,  than  to  that  of  the  moon. 

The  principal  food  of  the  common  people  was  maize 
ground  into  flour  and  formed  into  cakes,  'fhey  made  use 
of  plantains,  cassavi,  and  many  kinds  of  roots;  the  flesh  of 
the  pecari,  deer,  and  different  kinds  of  venison. 

When  any  considerable  business  Was  to  be  undertaken, 
they  always  commenced  their  consultations  with  a  least. 
They  had  leasts  at  weddings,  and,  in  short,  at  every  impor 
tant  transaction.  At  these  feasts  they  had  always  a  plenti 
ful  store  of  their  intoxicating  liquors.  Their  drinkings 
continued  sometimes  several  days,  and  never  ended  but  with 
the  liquor.  The  wromen  were  not  permitted  to  eat  in  pre 
sence  of  the  men. 

Their  principal  exercises  were  hunting  and  fishing,  at 
which  they  were  very  expert.  '  They  were  fond  of  dancing ; 
this  exercise  was  performed  to  the  music  of  a  reed,  with 
several  stops;  accompanied  by  a  kind  of  wooden  drum. 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  329 

Their  dances  were  performed  sometimes  in  a  circle ;  at  other 
times,  an  individual  exhibited  his  performances;  and  then 
they  consisted  chiefly  of  displays  of  activity,  strength  and 
agility.  The  women  likewise  danced  and  sung,  but  always 
separate  from  the  men. 

The  Mexicans,  according  to  Acosta,  were  married  in  their 
temples  by  a  priest.  The  ceremony  consisted  in  his  de 
manding  of  the  parties,  whether  they  were  willing  to  accept 
of  each  other  for  husband  and  wife  ?  Upon  their  answering 
in  the  affirmative,  he  tied  a  corner  of  the  woman's  veil,  to 
a  corner  of  the  man's  mantle.  In  this  manner  he  led  them 
home  to  the  bridegroom's  house  ;  the  bride  went  seven  times 
round  a  fire,  which,  for  that  purpose,  had  been  kindled  on 
the  floor ;  the  parties  then  sat  down  together  by  the  fireside, 
and  the  marriage  was  looked  upon  as  concluded.  The  con 
summation  took  place  on  the  same  night  If  the  husband 
was  satisfied  with  his  spouse,  he  gave  an  entertainment  to 
her  friends,  made  them  presents  and  sacrificed  to  the  gods. 
[f  he  suspected  her  virginity,  she  was  returned  to  her  family, 
which  was  to  them  a  considerable  reproach. 

It  does  not  appear  to  be  certain,  whether  polygamy  was 
commonly  practised  or  not  Their  chiefs,  we  know,  had 
many  wives  ;  but  we  know  that  their  customs  were  often 
different  from  those  of  the  nation  at  large.  Divorce  was 
allowed  by  the  Mexican  law,  when  the  parties  could  not 
agree.  In  this  case  the  husband  returned  with  his  wife  all 
the  effects  which  she  had  received  from  her  friends ;  of  which 
an  account  was  always  kept.  Those  who  had  been  divorced, 
were  forbidden  to  come  together  again  under  pain  of  death. 
This  was  also  the  punishment  for  adultery. 

The  Mexicans  displayed  an  exemplary  diligence  in  the 
education  of  their  youth.  It  was  an  example  of  their  poli 
tical  sagacity.  Public  schools  were  in  all  places  erected 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  their  temples,  with  proper  teachers, 
who  were  considered  as  officers  of  state.  These  carefully 
studied  the  dispositions  and  parts  of  the  boys  committed  to 
their  charge,  and  fitted  them  for  the  army,  the  church,  or  the 
state,  according  as  these  parts  or  dispositions  directed.  They 

28* 


330  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

were  not  permitted  to  indulge  in  long  sleep.  They  were 
forced  to  live  abstemiously  and  be  inured  to  the  most  fatigu 
ing  exercises.  If  intended  for  the  army,  which  they  con 
sidered  as  the  most  honourable  of  all  employments,  they 
were  obliged  to  give  proofs  of  their  courage  and  intrepidity, 
before  they  could  be  enrolled  as  soldiers.  There  were  also 
seminaries  for  the  education  of  females.  These  were  undei 
the  direction  of  respectable  matrons,  who  instructed  their 
pupils  in  the  principles  of  religion  and  morality,  together 
with  those  less  dignified  domestic  accomplishments,  which 
are  too  frequently  neglected  in  a  female  education,  but 
which  are  no  less  useful  in  a  married  state.  Both  sexes 
were  instructed  in  music  and.dancing ;  they  were  initiated 
in  the  poetry  of  their  country,  which  with  them  was  not  a 
fruitless  amusement. 

Their  funeral  rites  had  a  striking  resemblance  to  those  of 
their  less  polished  neighbours,  the  North  Americans.  When 
a  person  died,  the  body  was  washed  and  dressed  in  his  best 
attire.  He  was  set  upright,  and  formally  taken  leave  of  by 
all  his  friends  and  relations.  The  priests  in  the  neighbour 
hood  attended  the  body  to  the  place  of  interment ;  singing 
mournful  songs  and  playing  melancholy  airs  on  their  instru 
ments.  They  were  interred  in  their  ordinary  habits.  With 
them  were  buried  their  arms,  and  sometimes  gold,  silver, 
necessaries  of  various  kinds,  or  those  things  which  they  had 
esteemed  during  life.  It  is  even  said,  that,  along  with  their 
great  men,  several  slaves  were  put  to  death  and  interred  in 
order  to  attend  their  masters  in  a  future  state ;  but  this 
seems  not  to  be  sufficiently  authenticated.  Instead  of  bu 
rying  their  dead,  they  are  said,  sometimes,  to  have  burnt 
them  ;  and  this  seems  to  have  been  true,  chiefly  writh  re 
gard  to  their  chiefs  and  princes. 

The  government  of  Mexico,  when  the  Spaniards  arrived 
amongst  them,  was  monarchical ;  but  it  is  said  formerly  to 
have  been  a  republic  :  frequent  factions  having  endangered 
the  state,  it.  was  changed  into  an  elective  monarchy.  At 
first,  their  kings  were  elected  by  the  whole  community;  af 
terwards  the  elective  power  was  assumed,  exclusively,  by 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  331 

the  kings  of  Zacuba  and  Tezuco,  and  four  princes  of  the 
blood.  The  monarch  was  always  chosen  from  the  royal  fa 
mily.  Before  the  king,  who  had  been  elected,  could  be 
crowned,  he  was  obliged  to  go  on  an  expedition  against 
some  neighbouring  nation.  At  his  return,  he  was  met  by 
his  nobles,  the  ministers  of  state,  and  chief  priests.  He  was 
conducted  to  the  temple  of  the  God  of  War.  There  he  was 
invested  with  the  imperial  robes.  In  his  right  hand  he  re 
ceived  a  golden  sword ;  in  his  left  a  bow  and  arrows.  The 
king  of  Tezuco,  first  elector  of  the  empire,  set  the  crown  on 
his  head  :  one  of  the  principal  ministers,  in  the  name  of  the 
people,  congratulated  him  upon  his  accession  to  the  crown, 
and  instructed  him  in  the  duties  which  his  new  dignity  en 
forced  upon  him. 

The  king  lived  in  great  magnificence  and  splendour.  He 
ate  alone,  but  had  always  two  hundred  dishes  at  his  table ; 
he  wras  waited  on  by  his  principal  nobility ;  and  among 
them  he  distributed  the  dishes,  after  he  had  taken  of  them 
what  he  wanted  He  frequently  drank  out  of  a  golden 
goblet ;  a  privilege  denied  to  his  greatest  vassals. 

Justice  was  administered  by  proper  courts,  and  judges 
appointed  in  every  city  and  province ;  but  from  them  an  ap 
peal  could  be  made  to  the  supreme  tribunal,  in  Mexico, 
which  consisted  of  twelve  judges.  Superior,  however,  to 
every  court  of  judicature  in  the  kingdom,  was  the  council 
of  state,  composed  of  the  six  electors  of  the  empire,  and  ge 
nerally  held  in  the  emperor's  presence ;  and  without  con 
sulting  this  council,  he  seldom  resolved  on  any  measure  ol 
importance.  Treason,  murder,  sodomy,  and  adultery,  to 
which  some  add  robbery  and  theft,  were  punished  with 
death. 

The  revenues  of  the  crown  were  under  the  cognizance  of 
a  council  appointed  solely  for  that  purpose ;  this  council 
took  charge  of  those  parts  of  the  king's  income,  arising 
from  the  mines,  as  well  as  of  those  taxes  in  kind,  paid  by 
his  subjects  of  every  profession.  These  taxes  in  the  reign 
of  Montezuma,  amounted  to  a  third  part  of  every  man's 
profits.  The  nobles  were  not  subject  to  the  same  taxes,  but 


332  ORIGIN    OF   THE 

were  ob.iged  to  maintain  a  certain  number  of  men,  t.»   serve 
in  the  king's  army  whenever  they  were  required. 

The  military  affairs  of  the  empire  were  regulated  by  a 
separate  council.  The  profession  of  a  soldier  was  esteemed 
the  most  honourable  in  the  empire,  and  soldiers  every  where 
enjoyed  peculiar  privileges.  Their  armies  were  raised  with 
ease,  every  cacique,  or  chief,  being  obliged,  when  called 
upon,  to  bring  a  certain  number  of  men  into  the  field.  The 
Spanish  writers  relate,  that  Montezuma  had  thirty  vassals, 
each  of  whom  could  bring  an  hundred  thousand  men  into 
the  field,  but  this  calculation  has  evident  marks  of  exagger 
ation.  Each  cacique  commanded  his  own  vassals,  but  un 
der  the  control  of  the  emperor,  who  generally  conducted 
his  armies  in  person. 

War  seems  to  have  been  the  delight  of  the  nation,  and 
military  talents  were  the  surest  means  of  preferment.  In 
order  to  excite  an  emulation  in  courage  and  warlike  skill 
among  the  troops,  several  orders  were  created  similar  to  the 
knights  of  Europe,  in  the  days  of  chivalry.  There  were 
many  of  these  orders,  and  one  in  particular,  into  which  none 
could  be  admitted,  who  were  not  princes,  or  of  royal  des 
cent.  Their  badge  was  a  red  ribbon,  with  which  their  hair 
was  tied  behind ;  to  this  were  affixed  a  number  of  tassels, 
corresponding  to  the  number  of  heroic  actions  performed  by 
the  wearer,  a  new  tassel  being  added  for  each  exploit.  To 
this  order  the  emperor  himself  belonged. 

Their  arms  were  generally  bows  and  arrows;  but  some 
Spanish  writers  have  asserted,  that  iron  or  steel  weapons 
were  also  in  use  among  them,  some  centuries  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  the  Europeans.  Of  this  fact  they  feel  convinced 
from  their  having  discovered  several  iron  tools  and  warlike 
weapons  in  the  tombs  of  the  dead.  It  has  been  frequently 
mentioned  by  Don  Fernandez,  that  the  Mexicans  knew  the 
use  of  iron,  although  other  writers  denied  the  fact.  "  I  do 
not  mean  to  assert,  (says  this  author)  that  the  Mexicans 
ever  arrived,  since  their  emigration  to  the  western  continent, 
at  such  a  proficiency  in  the  use  of  iron  as  to  be  able  to  mould 
that  metal  into  warlike  weapons  or  other  tools  necessary  for 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS.  333 

the  promotion  of  the  arts.  I  know,  beyond  the  possibility 
of  contradiction,  that  the  Mexicans  used  iron-  instruments, 
when  it  can,  as  has  been  frequently  done,  be  proved,  that 
iron  or  steel  swords  and  other  tools  of  the  same  metal,  have 
been  found  buried  with  the  dead."  The  incredulous  ask, 
how  is  it,  that  the  Mexicans  did  not  use  them  when  the 
Spaniards  first  visited  them?  They  might  as  we  have 
already  mentioned,  when  we  alluded  to  the  antiquities  of 
North  America,  disappear,  from  the  prevalent  custom  among 
the  different  tribes  who  inhabited  this  continent,  of  burying 
those  weapons  and  other  useful  tools  with  the  dead.  It 
might  also  be  asked,  why  the  Mexicans,  since  their  arrival 
on  this  continent,  did  not  practice  the  art  of  making  swords 
and  different  other  instruments  which  have  been  found  in 
the  tumuli  of  the  dead,  both  in  the  northern  and  southern 
parts  of  America,  in  answer  to  this  question,  it  is  reason 
able  enough  to  imagine,  that  this  Asiatic  colony  who  peo 
pled  America  and  brought  along  with  them  those  iron  in 
struments  from  Asia,  discovered  no  iron  mines  in  America, 
whence  they  might  be  formed.  In  battle,  they  were  totally 
ignorant  of  the  art  of  disposing  their  soldiers  in  battle  array. 
They  engaged  like  a  confused  crowd,  and  were  consequently 
like  a  rabble  of  children,  before  men  skilled  in  military 
discipline ;  and  to  this  circumstance,  it  has  been  conjectured, 
more  than  to  their  ignorance  of  fire  arms,  the  Spaniards 
owed  their  easy  conquest  of  the  country. 

Fear  was  the  basis  on  which  the  Mexican  worship  was 
founded;'  and  in  common  with  the  religion  of  other  pagan 
nations,  that  of  the  ancient  Mexicans  consisted  chiefly  in 
rites  of  deprecation.  Whilst  figures  of  destructive  animals 
decorated  their  temples,  fasts,  penances,  voluntary  wounds 
and  tortures,  formed  the  essences  of  their  religious  rites. 

In  the  Mexican  language  teotl  was  a  general  term  foi 
any  divinity ;  and  they  had  an  obscure  belief  of  a  creator, 
whom  they  styled  Ipalnemcani  that  is,  he  by  whom  we  live. 
But  their  Supreme  Deity  was  rather  the  Evil  Spirit,  de 
nominated  klacatecolaiotl,  or  the  rational  owl,  whose  delight 
was  to  injure  or  terrify.  They  believed  in  the  immortality 


334  ORIGIN   OF   THE 

of  the  soul,  and  a  kind  of  transmigration  ;  the  good  being 
transformed  into  birds,  and  the  bad  into  creeping  animals. 

The  first  teocalli,  or  great  temple  of  Mexico,  was  com 
posed  of  wood.  The  second  temple  was  erected  in  1486, 
and  appears  to  have  been  of  a  pyramidal  form,  121  feet 
high,  3 16  feet  at  the  base,  and  situated  in  the  midst  of  a 
vast  inclosure  surrounded  with  walls.  It  appears  to  have 
been  a  solid  mass  of  earth  faced  with  stone,  and  consisted 
of  five  stories.  On  the  summit  of  this  enormous  cube,  were 
a  great  number  of  altars,  covered  with  wooden  cupolas. 
The  point  where  these  cupolas  terminated,  was  elevated 
177  feet  above  the  base  of  the  edifice.  On  the  walls  of  the 
inclosure  were  represented  many  serpents  heads,  twisted 
into  various  forms.  A  small  chapel  stood  near  the  principal 
entrance,  the  front  of  which  was  adorned  with  the  skulls  of 
those  who  had  been  sacrificed.  On  each  side  of  the  greatest 
square  was  a  gate,  surmounted  by  the  statues  of  inferior 
deities ;  and  within  the  inclosure  was  the  habitation  of  the 
priests  and  servants  of  the  temple.  The  building  was  as 
cended  by  120  steps ;  the  top  was  40  feet  square,  paved 
with  jaspers  of  various  colours  ;  round  it  was  a  rail  of  ser 
pentine  work,  of  beautiful  black  stone,  joined  with  red  and 
white  cement.  Two  marble  images,  sustaining  a  vast 
candle-stick,  stood  on  each  side  of  the  space ;  and  between 
them  a  green  stone,  five  spans  high,  and  pointed  at  the  top, 
on  which  they  extended  the  victims  they  intended  to  sacri 
fice.  These  sacrifices  were  offered  to  the  god,  who  sat  op 
posite,  in  a  chapel  of  exquisite  workmanship.  This  god 
was  seated  on  a  throne,  sustained  by  a  sphere  of  a  blue 
colour,  representing  heaven.  From  the  sides  of  this  sphere 
proceeded  four  staffs,  terminating  in  figures  of  serpents 
heads :  a  twisted  serpent  was  held  in  the  hand  of  the  image ; 
and  in  his  left  four  arrows  behind  a  shield,  which  was  orna 
mented  with  white  feathers,  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  On  its 
head  was  a  helmet,  adorned  with  feathers  of  various  colours. 
The  countenance  of  this  Mexican  Moloch  was  stern  and 
terrific,  deformed  with  two  blue  hands,  one  across  the  nose 
and  cheeks,  and  the  other  across  the  brow.  As  to  the  num- 


NORTH  AMERICAN    INDIANS.  335 

ber  of  victims  offered  to  this  sanguinary  deity,  authors  differ. 
Fernandez  says,  that  those  religious  edifices  of  the  Mexicans 
would  from  the  art  and  taste  which  the  architecture  dis 
played,  be  a  credit  to  a  more  civilized  nation  than  the 
Mexicans,  and  that  they  must  have  been  acquainted  with 
painting,  sculpture,  and  architecture  previous  to  their  mi 
gration  from  Asia. 

From  the  foregoing  observations  on  the  civilization  of 
the  Mexicans,  it  appears  that  this  great  nation  had  attained 
a  high  degree  of  refinement,  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards.  The  habits  of  the  emperor  and  his  principal 
chiefs  are  said  by  Spanish  writers  to  have  been  rich  and 
superb.  In  several  arts  they  were  considerable  proficients. 
Painting  and  architecture  they  cultivated  with  assiduity  and 
success.  On  agriculture  depended  chiefly  their  means  of 
subsistence,  although  hunting  and  fishing  were  their  favourite 
exercises.  In  educating  their  children,  they  offered  an  ex 
ample  of  their  political  sagacity  ;  because  in  every  district 
of  the  empire  public  schools  \\jere  erected,  in  which  the 
youths  were  fitted  for  the  army,  church  and  state,  according 
to  their  different  bents  of  inclination.  In  this  they  excelled 
even  the  most  refined  nations  in  Europe,  where  the  disposi 
tions  and  qualifications  of  the  youth  are  not  taken  into  con 
sideration  before  they  are  sent  abroad  to  learn  the  different 
professions. 

Their  government,  which  was  monarchical  when  the 
Spaniards  arrived  among  them,  was  conducted  with  the 
greatest  prudence  and  the  most  refined  policy.  The  cere 
monies  which  attended  the  king's  coronation  were,  accord 
ing  to  the  Spaniards,  solemn  and  imposing.  In  war  the 
Mexicans  could  boast  of  military  talents,  as  well  as  bravery 
and  intrepidity ;  and  rewards  and  honours  were  held  out  to 
them,  as  inducements  to  excel  in  military  skill,  which  greatly 
improved  their  national  character  and  social  institutions,  at 
an  early  period.  Their  fortifications  also  displayed  a  degree 
of  military  skill  which  was  not  likely  to  be  found  among 
the  tribes  which  inhabited  the  new  world.  In  their  religious 


336  OKIGIN   OF   THE 

rites,  though  a  pagan  worship,  they  sometimes  displayed 
some  taste  with  their  imposing  ceremonies. 

That  the  Natchez,  evidently  the  most  civilized  of  all  the 
present  North  American  tribes  were  a  branch  of  the  great 
f'amily  which  constituted  the  Mexican  nation,  cannot  be 
doubted,  if  we  pay  respect  to  the  traditions  of  the  Natchez 
themselves,  to  a  similarity  of  language,  manners,  habits  and 
customs,  as  well  as  their  external  appearance  and  religion. 
If  we  admit  under  these  circumstances,  that  a  consanguinity 
exists  between  the  Mexicans  and  the  Natchez,  and  it  cannot 
be  reasonably  denied,  we  must  also  grant  the  probability, 
that  the  vestiges  of  civilization,  throughout  the  North 
American  continent,  owe  their  existence  to  some  polished 
tribes  who  separated  from  the  Toltecs,  Chichimecs,  and 
Artecs  (now  the  Mexicans,)  at  the  period  of  their  successive 
migrations,  and  colonized  North  America. 

This  is  the  most  reasonable  conjecture  that  we  can  form, 
respecting  the  most  ancient  inhabitants  of  North  America. 
The  grounds  of  this  hypothesis  are  evidently  agreeable  to 
reason  from  the  fact  that  fortifications,  offensive  weapons, 
defensive  aimour,  and  tumuli  were  found  among  the  Mexi 
cans,  much  the  same  as  those  which  indicate  the  civilization 
of  those  who  preceded  the  present  Red  Indians  as  the  in 
habitants  of  the  North  American  soil.  It  may,  indeed,  ap 
pear  to  some  rather  singular  that  those  tribes  have  totally 
disappeared  in  North  America,  and  that  they  did  not  impart 
to  the  present  Indians  any  of  their  arts  or  sciences  in  paint 
ing,  architecture,  and  agriculture.  If  we  suppose  that  the 
present  Red  Indians  entered  North  America  from  Siberia  or 
Tartary  as  a  powerful  and  numerous  nation  and  exterminated 
with  war,  or  expelled  from  the  country  the  real  aborigines 
of  the  American  soil,  it  is  not  either  likely  or  probable  that 
the  vanquished  wrould  teach  the  conquerors,  or  that  the  con 
querors  would  learn  from  the  vanquished. 

From  the  Coreans  in  Asia,  the  Toltec,  Chichimec,  and 
Aztec,  that  formed  the  Mexican  nation,  are  very  reasonably 
supposed  to  have  descended.  They  bear  a  striking  resem 
blance  to  the  Mexicans  in  many  respects.  According  to 


NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  337 

Abernethy,  the  Coreans  have  the  narrow  foreheads,  black 
eyes,  and  regular  white  teeth  of  the  Mexicans ;  their  hair  is 
black  and  thick,  and  their  skins  are  of  copper  colour. 

Their  warriors  frequently  paint  their  faces  with  various 
colours;  and  often  all  those  places  which  are  not  covered. 
This  they  do,  in  order  to  appear  terrible- to  their  enemies  in 
time  of  war.  The  females  paint  themselves  solely  for  the 
sake  of  adding  to  their  personal  attractions. 

The  Coreans  were  far  from  being  ignorant  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  for  Santini  and  Abernethy  assure  us  that  painting 
and  ^architecture  were,  as  well  as  fowling,  hunting,  and  fish 
ing,  their  favourite  pursuits.  In  painting  or  drawing  they 
frequently  used  the  coloured  feathers,  which,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  were  in  common  use  among  the  Mexicans 
for  the  same  purpose.  The  Mexican  music,  which  consisted 
of  a  reed  and  a  small  wooden  drum,  was  also  observed 
among  the  Coreans  by  several  travellers,  as  well  as  the  cir 
cular  dances  so  prevalent  among  all  the  Indian  tribes 
throughout  North  and  South  America.  Their  other  exer 
cises  were  numerous  and  consisted  merely  of  displays  of 
activity,  strength,  and  agility.  Marriage  was  celebrated 
among  *the  Coreans  almost  in  the  same  manner  as  among 
the  Mexicans.  The  priest*  tied  the  man's  right  hand  to  the 
women's  left,  with  a  white  cord.  In  this  state  they  walked 
home  from  .the  temple  to  the  bridegroom's  house  where  the 
cord  was  untied  by  the  priest  who  accompanied  them.  A 
feast  was  then  prepared,  which  ended  in  dancing,  and  on 
the  retiring  of  the  married  couple.  The  Mexicans  observed 
a  similar  ceremony ;  for  the  priest  tied  a  corner  of  the  wo 
man's  veil,  to  a  corner  of  the  man's  mantle.  In  this  manner 
he  led  them  home  to  the  bridegroom's  house. 

The  Mexican  custom  of  washing  the  woman  and  child  in 
a  neighbouring  stream,  whenever  she  was  delivered  was 
also  common  among  the  Coreans,  who,  however  left  it  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  woman  herself;  and  if  she  declined,  it 
was  considered  as  a  mark  of  impurity. 

The  funeral  rites  of  the  Coreans  did  not  differ  materially 
from  those  of  the  North  American  Indians  and  Mexicans, 

29 


3CS  ORIGIN    OF    THF- 

Their  dead  they  attired  in  their  finest  robes ;  and  along  with 
them  they  buried  those  things  which  they  esteemed  when 
living.  It  has  also  been  observed  that  it  was  customary 
with  them  to  bury  with  the  dead  their  favourite  dogs. 

The  Coreans  engaged  in  battle  with  tremendous  bowlings 
and  shouts,  similar  to  the  outcries  of  all  the  Indian  tribes 
of  America.  Their  original  arms  were  bows  and  arrows ; 
but  since  a  colony  arrived  there  from  China,  swords  and 
other  iron  weapons  were  introduced. 

The  religion  of  the  Coreans,  like  that  of  every  rude  nation, 
was  founded  upon  fear,  and  it  consisted  chiefly  in  rites  of 
deprecation.  Fasts,  penances,  tortures,  and  voluntary  wounds 
formed  the  essences  of  their  religion.  That  of  the  Mexicans 
corresponded  in  all  its  rites  and  ceremonies,  with  that  of 
the  Coreans.  These  Asiatics,  as  well  as  almost  all  the 
Indian  tribes  of  America  worshipped  two  particular  divini 
ties;  the  one  they  considered  to  be  a  benevolent  spirit,  and 
the  other  malevolent.  They  had  also  a  great  many  inferior 
deities,  whom  they  reverenced  as  tutelary  gods,  or  guardians. 

In  these,  and  in  several  /other  national  peculiarities  the 
Mexicans  and  the  Coreans  coincide  so  strikingly,  that  the 
antiquary  will,  at  once,  be  satisfied  with  the  identity  of 
people  ;  besides  the  traditions  of  the  Mexicans,  or  rather 
their  records  in  painting  confirm  the  Chinese  manuscripts 
which  Santini  has  translated  into  the  Italian  language. 
According  to  him,  the  Kitans,  in  the  second  year  of  the 
dynasty  of  Tsin,  emperor  of  China,  declared  war  against  the 
Coreans.  The  Kitans  were  a  powerful  nation,  who  inhabi 
ted  eastern  Tartary  and  dwelt  to  the  north  and  north-east 
of  the  .province  of  Pecheli,  in  China.  Without  detailing 
the  particularities  of  this  campaign,  so  minutely  related  by 
the  Italian  antiquary,  wre  shall  merely  say,  that  the  Coreans 
were  subdued  by  the  Kitans,  who  afterwards  exercised  such 
tyranny  over  the  vanquished,  that  the  Coreans  undertook  a 
sea  voyage  in  order  to  establish  a  colony  in  some  distant 
land.  The  course  which  they  pursued  was  towards  the 
north-east.  During  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks  they  passed  by 
several  islands,  and  arrived  in  a  country,  whose  bounds  they 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


339 


could  not  discover.  The  land  Santini,  very  reasonably, 
supposes  to  be  America.  This  information,  of  which  we 
have  only  given  the  substance,  is  certainly  very  interesting, 
and  tends  to  prove  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  that 
the  Coreans  were  the  first  that  visited  the  new  world  from 
Asia.  It  was  communicated  in  Corea  by  prince  Alacouli, 
on  his  return  to  Corea ;  and  thence  it  was  transmitted  to 
China,  where  the  manuscript  is  still  preserved. 


340  ORIGIN   OF  THE 


CONCLUSION. 

Having  now  accomplished  the  plan  which  we  proposed 
as  a  guide  in  our  inquiry  after  the  origin  of  the  North 
American  Indians,  with  as  much  fidelity  as  the  limited 
nature  of  the  present  work  would  permit,  we  shall  once  more 
direct  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  this  subject  before  we 
abandon  so  curious  and  agitated  a  question.  Of  all  the  races 
into  which  the  great  human  family  is  divided  by  peculiar 
features  in  the  constitution  of  their  bodies,  as  well  as  by  the 
characteristic  qualities  of  their  minds,  the  Aborigines  of  the 
American  Continent  have  afforded  the  antiquary  the  widest 
field  for  research  and  inquiry  concerning  their  original  ex 
traction.  Amid  this  uncertainty  and  obscurity  which  hang 
over  the  early  history  of  the  American  Indians,  the  most 
extravagant  conjectures  and  the  wildest  theories  have  been 
formed  in  order  to  arrive  at  the  original  of  this  strange  and 
singular  people.  Almost  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  have 
been  ransacked  to  account  for  the  peopling  of  the  new 
world.  While  some  have  presumptuously  asserted  that 
they  are  descended  from  some  remnant  of  the  antediluvian 
inhabitants  of  the  earth,  who  survived  the  deluge  on  the 
summit  of  some  lofty  mountain  in  the  southern  regions  of 
America,  others  have  vainly  imagined  that  it  was  here 
Adam  and  Eve  drew  the  first  breath  of  life,  and  that  hence 
all  the  other  portions  of  the  earth  received  their  inhabitants. 
In  the  absence  gf  historica-1  records,  of  which  the  Indians 
had  none,  conjecture  arid  hypothesis  have  inevitably  formed 
the  frail  and  only  foundation  on  which  authors  have  built 
their  various  theories. 

It  is  truly  amusing  to  see  how  readily  the  human  mind 
sometimes  espouses  any  cause,  however  absurd,  when  the 
novelty  of  the  plan  is  in  any  way  alluring  or  captivating. 
If  we  credit  the  fanciful  inventions  of  historians,  we  are  to 
believe,  that  the  Jews,  the  Canaanites,  the  Phoenicians,  the 
Carthagenians,  and  the  Greeks,  made  settlements,  in  ancient 
times,  on  the  American  continent.  The  Scythians,  the 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  341 

Chinese,  the  Swedes,  the  Norwegians,  the  Welsh,  and  the  • 
Spaniards,  are  also  said  to  have  sent  hither  different  colonies; 
without  attempting  to  refute  the  authors  of  these  wild 
schemes,  we  shall  rest  satisfied  with  a  few  observations  on 
the  most  probable  and  rational  system  that  has  been  as  yet 
suggested,  ft  must  certainly  appear  somewhat  strange  to 
a  sober  mind,  that  antiquaries  must  go  to  Greece,  Tyre,  and 
Carthage,  as  well  as  Wales,  Spain,  and  Sweden,  to  discover 
in  these  countries  the  ancestors  of  the  Red  Men  of  America, 
instead  of  crossing  the  straits  of  Beering  where  the  two 
continents  are  separated  by  a  channel  only  twenty-five  miles 
wide. 

Some  indeed  have  supposed  that  America  was  at  this 
point  originally  united  to  the  old  continent,  and  disjoined 
from  it  by  the  shock  of  an  earthquake,  or  the  irruption  of  a 
deluge.  This  opinion,  it  is  true,  is  a  mere  conjecture,  but 
still  it  is  far  from  being  improbable.  There  are  others 
again  whose  imaginations  are  somewhat  more  sublime  and 
romantic,  so  that  nothing  less  than  a  voyage  of  three  or  four 
thousand  miles  across  the  Atlantic  will  satisfy  them.  These 
fondly  imagine  that  some  vessel,  being  forced  from  its  course 
by  the  violence  of  a  westerly  wind,  might  be  driven  by  ac 
cident  towards  the  American  coast,  and  have  given  a  begin 
ning  to  population  in  that  desolate  continent.  We  have 
only  to  say  on  this  head,  that  we  have  neither  history  nor 
tradition  to  authorise  a  belief  that  such  an  event  ever  hap 
pened.  Notwithstanding  the  erudition  which  has  been  dis 
played  by  the  traveller  and  antiquary  in  endeavouring  to 
trace  in  the  western  world  monuments  of  antiquity,  which 
should  have  great  weight  in  proving  that  America  was  peo 
pled  by  some  nation  of  the  ancient  continent  which  had 
made  considerable  progress  in  civilization,  still,  from  all 
that  can  be  advanced  on  this  point,  we  can  only  infer  that 
some  nations  had  attained  a  higher  degree  of  improvement 
in  some  of  the  arts  than  our  present  race  of  Red  Men.  But 
as  we  have  not  undertaken  to  illustrate  this  subject,  we 
shall  leave  it  in  the  hands  of  those  who  claim  it  as  their 
peculiar  province. 

29* 


342  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

In  finishing  this  inquiry  concerning  the  original  ol  the 
North  American  Indians,  we  beg  leave  to  conclude  with 
a  few  observations  from  the  learned  disquisition  of  Robert 
son  in  his  History  of  South  America,  on  this  same  subject. 

"  From  considering  the  animals  with  which  America  is 
stored,"  says  the  learned  author,  "  we  may  conclude  that 
the  nearest  point  of  contract  between  the  old  and  new  con 
tinents  is  towards  the  northern  extremity  of  both,  and  that 
there  the  communication  was  opened,  and  the  intercourse 
carried  on  between  them.  All  the  extensive  countries  in 
America  which  lie  within  the  tropics,  or  approach  near  to 
them,  are  filled  with  indigenous  animals  of  various  kinds, 
entirely  different  from  those  in  the  corresponding  regions 
of  the  ancient  continent.  But  the  northern  provinces  ol  the 
new  world  abound  with  many  of  the  wild  animals  which 
are  common  in  such  parts  of  our  hemisphere  as  lie  in  a 
similar  situation.  The  bear,  the  wolf,  the  fox  the  hare,  the 
deer,  the  roebuck,  the  elk,  and  several  other  species,  frequent 
the  forests  of  North  America,  no  less  than  those  in  the  north 
of  Europe  and  Asia.  It  seems  to  be  evident,  then,  that  the 
two  continents  approach  each  other  in  this  quarter,  and  are 
either  united,  or  so  nearly  adjacent  that  these  animals  might 
pass  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  The  actual  vicinity  of  the  two  continents  is  so  clearly 
established  by  modern  discoveries,  that  the  chief  difficulty 
with  respect  to  the  peopling  of  America  is  removed.  While 
those  immense  regions  which  stretch  eastward  from  the 
river  Oby  to  the  sea  of  Kamschatka  were  unknown  or  im 
perfectly  explored,  the  north-east  extremities  of  our  hemis 
phere  were  supposed  to  be  so  far  distant  from  any  part  of 
the  new  world,  that  it  was  not  easy  to  conceive  how  any 
communication  should  have  been  carried  on  between  them. 
But  the  Russians,  having  subjected  the  western  part  of 
Siberia  to  their  empire,  gradually  extended  their  knowledge 
of  that  var>t  country,  by  advancing  towards  the  east  into 
unknown  regions  not  only  in  Asia,  but  likewise  on  the  con 
tinent  of  America. 

"  These  the  Russians  imagined  to  be  part  of  America ; 


NOttTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  343 

and  several  circumstances  concurred  not  only  in  confirming 
them  in  this  belief,  but  in  persuading  them  that  some  por 
tion  of  that  continent  could  not  be  very  remote.  Trees  of 
various  kinds  unknown  in  those  naked  regions  of  Asia  were 
driven  upon  the  coast  by  an  easterly  wind.  By  the  same 
wind,  floating  ice  was  brought  thither  in  a  few  days;  flights 
of  birds  arrived  annually  from  the  same  quarter  ;  and  a  tra 
dition  obtained  among  the  inhabitants,  of  an  intercourse 
formerly  carried  on  with  some  countries  situated  to  the 
east. 

"  After  weighing  all  the  particulars,-  and  comparing  the 
position  of  the  countries  in  Asia  which  had  been  discovered, 
with  such  parts  in  the  north-west  of  America  as  were  already 
known,  the  Russian  court  formed  a  plan,  which  would  have 
hardly  occurred  to  a  nation  less  accustomed  to  engage  in 
arduous  undertakings,  and  to  contend  with  great  difficulties. 
Orders  were  issued  to  build  two  vessels  at  the  small  village 
of  Ochotz,  situated  on  the  sea  of  Kamschatka,  to  sail  on  a 
voyage  of  discovery.  Though  that  dreary  uncultivated 
region  furnished  nothing  that  could  be  of  use  in  constructing 
them,  but  some  large  trees ;  though  not  only  the  iron,  the 
cordage,  the  sail,  and  all  the  numerous  articles  requisite  for 
their  equipment,  but  the  provisions  for  victualling  them 
were  to  be  carried  through  the  immense  deserts  of  Siberia, 
down  rivers  of  difficult  navigation,  and  along  roads  almost 
impassible,  the  mandate  of  the  sovereign,  and  the  persever 
ance  of  the  people,  at  last  surmounted  every  obstacle.  Two 
vessels  were  finished,  and,  under  the  command  of  the  Cap 
tains  Behring  and  Tschirikow,  sailed  from  Kamschatka,  in 
quest  of  the  new  world  in  a  quarter  where  it  had  never  been 
approached.  They  shaped  their  course  towards  the  east ; 
and  though  a  storm  soon  separated  the  vessel,  which  never 
rejoined,  and  many  disasters  befell  them,  the  expectations 
from  the  voyage  were  not  altogether  frustrated.  Each  of 
the  commanders  discovered  land,  which  to  them  appeared 
to  be  part  of  the  American  continent ;  and  according  to 
their  observation,  it  seemed  to  be  situated  within  a  few  de 
grees  of  the  north-west  coast  of  California,  Each  set  some 


344  ORIGIN    OF    THE 

of  his  people  ashore  ,  but  in  one  place  the  inhabitants  fled 
as  the  Russians  approached ;  in  another,  they  carried  off 
those  who  landed,  and  destroyed  their  boats.  The  violence 
of  the  weather,  and  the  distress  of  their  crews,  obliged  both 
captains  to  quit  this  inhospitable  coast.  In  their  return 
they  touched  at  several  islands  which  stretched  in  a  chain 
from  east  to  west  between  the  country  which  they  had  dis 
covered  and  the  coast  of  Asia.  They  had  some  intercourse 
with  the  natives,  who  seemed  to  them  to  resemble  the  North 
Americans.  They  presented  to  the  Russians  the  calumet, 
or  pipe  of  peace,  which  is  a  symbol  of  friendship  universal 
among  the  people  of  North  America,  and  a  usage  of  arbi 
trary  institution  peculiar  to  theYn. 

"Again,  in  the  year  1768  discoveries  in  that  quarter  were 
resumed,  which  not  only  confirmed  the  Russian  government 
in  the  belief  that  America  was  not  far  removed  from  the 
north  eastern  parts  of  Asia,  but  discovered  various  islands 
interspersed  in  those  straits,  which  would  inevitably  tend  to 
facilitate  an  intercourse  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  old 
and  new  world. 

"  Thus  the  possibility  of  a  communication  between  the 
continents  in  this  quarter  rests  no  longer  upon  mere  conjec 
ture,  but  is  established  by  undoubted  evidence.  Some  tribe, 
or  some  families  of  wandering  Tartars,  from  the  restless 
spirit  peculiar  to  their  race,  might  migrate  to  the  nearest 
islands,  and,  rude  as  their  knowledge  of  navigation  was, 
might,  by  passing  from  one  to  the  other,  reach  at  length 
the  coast  of  America,  and  give  a  beginning  to  population 
in  that  continent. 

"  Though  it  be  possible  that  America  may  have  received 
its  first  inhabitants  from  our  continent,  either  by  the  north 
west  of  Europe,  or  the  north-east  of  Asia,  there  seems  to 
be  good  reason  for  supposing  that  the  progenitors  of  all  the 
American  nations  from  Cape  Horn  to  the  southern  confines 
of  Labrador,  migrated  from  the  latter  rather  than  the  for 
mer.  The  Esquimeaux  are  the  only  people  in  America, 
who  in  their  aspect  or  character,  bear  any  resemblance  to 
the  northern  Europeans.  They  are  manifestly  a  race  of 


NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  345 

men  distinct  from  all  the  nations  of  the  American  continent, 
in  language,  in  disposition,  and  habits  of  life.  Their  original, 
then,  may  warrantably  be  traced  up  to  ,that  source  which  I 
have  pointed  out.  But  among  all  the  other  inhabitants  of 
America,  there  is  such  a  striking  similitude  in  the  form  of 
their  bodies  and  the  qualities  of  their  minds,  that  notwith 
standing  the  diversities  occasioned  by  the  influences  of  cli 
mate  or  unequal  progress  in  improvement,  we  must  pro 
nounce  them  to  be  descended  from  one  source.  There  may 
be  a  variety  in  the  shades,  but  we  can  every  where  trace 
the  same  original  colour  Each  tribe  has  something  peculiar 
which  distinguishes  it,  but  in  all  of  them  we  discern  certain 
features  common  to  the  whole  race.  It  is  remarkable,  that 
in  every  peculiarity,  whether  in  their  persons  or. dispositions, 
which  characterize  the  Americans,  they  have  some  resem 
blance  to  the  rude  tribes  scattered  over  the  north-east  of 
Asia,  but  almost  none  to  the  nations  settled  in  the  northern 
extremities  of  Europe.  We  may,  therefore,  refer  them  to 
the  former  origin,  and  conclude  that  their  Asiatic  progeni 
tors,  having  settled  in  those  parts  of  America  where  the 
Russians  have  discovered  the  proximity  of  the  two  conti 
nents,  spread  gradually  over  its  various  regions.  This  ac 
count  of  the  progress  of  population  in  America  coincides 
with  the  traditions  of  the  Mexicans  concerning  their  own 
origin,  which,  imperfect  as  they  are,  were  preserved  with 
more  accuracy,  and  merit  greater  credit,  than  those  of  any 
people  in  the  new  world.  According  to  them,  their  ances 
tors  came  from  a  remote  country  situated  to  the  north-west 
of  Mexico.  The  Mexicans  point  out  their  various  stations 
as  they  advanced  from  this  into  the  interior  provinces,  and 
it  is  precisely  the  same  route  which  they  must  have  held  if 
they  had  been  emigrants  from  Asia.  The  Mexicans,  in 
describing  the  appearance  of  their  progenitors,  their  manners 
and  habits  of  life  at  that  period,  exactly  delineate  those 
of  the  rude  Tartars  from  whom  J  suppose  them  to  have 
sprung." 

FINIS 


fllill 


I 


